A mother and a Sister
by 049 Faithless Observer
Summary: Dinner Party, and Yui's confession, things start to settle down, Kensuke gets tortured, jumping off point for the story to become much darker.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: An unhappy awakening.

"Dummy plug synch testing complete", Maya Ibuki announced, relief almost tangible in her voice. Another day with no screw ups, she thanked her good fortune.

"Hmmm, that's odd" Dr. Ritsuko Akagi noted. "There was a spike in the synch of Unit 01's dummy plug. It only lasted a second."

"Sempai?"

'Please don't let it be my fault. Please don't let it be my fault.' Maya prayed quietly.

"Ah, must have been an instrument error. The spike reads as a 400 synch rate. Everything else checks out."

Maya silently slumped in her seat, relieved that this could in no way be blamed on her.

"We'll do a full diagnostic tomorrow. Maya, eject the plugs and move them back to storage."

"Yes Sempai", Maya replied as she started entering commands into the EVA cage plug transit system.

Ritsuko trudged from her terminal intent on getting to the exit. Heading home, feeding her cats, and catching forty winks before tomorrow's synch testing.

Down in the EVA cages overhead transport rails were moving the Dummy Plug equipped entry plugs into their storage positions connecting them with a fresh supply of LCL to keep their core's alive.

If anyone had been present that night, they would have noted that Unit 01's characteristic aura of intimidation seemed to be missing.

Deep within Dummy Plug 00 the eyes of the Dummy were open . . . And filled with anger.

Shinji Ikari woke tired and dry mouthed.

Asuka Langley Soryu woke hungry and ready to kill said tired and dry mouthed Ikari.

And Rei Ayanami woke as she always did to the sound of construction, that was no big problem. It was a consistent part of her life, it did not bother her.

Shinji went about making breakfast for his three roommates, his drunk commanding officers, his bitchy fellow pilot, and a warm water penguin who happened to be one of his best mates.

Asuka went about her duty as Shinji's bitchy fellow pilot, namely chewing him out.

And Rei, well, Rei was just Rei, and went about her normal morning rituals, thankfully several miles from her comrades.

'It's a Saturday', Shinji thought to himself as he left the apartment Asuka not far ahead as they headed for Misato's parked Alpine. It had taken him a week to work up the courage but he finally was going to try and ask Ayanmi to go to a movie with him. Admittedly it had taken most of the last month to work up the courage, to work up that courage. Frankly the albino girl scared him nearly as much as she fascinated him.

He had already planned it out. He had even confirmed that Rei didn't have any extra testing today.

He sometimes wondered why she spent so much time with synch tests. It might have had something to do with her condition. He never asked and it would be hard to tell by how fit she was, but it was pretty obvious from the impressive number of medication's he'd seen in her apartment when he . . .

Shinji found himself blushing furiously and prayed Asuka wouldn't notice and ask for an explanation. Their were things that he really didn't want to remember about that day, and he was really hoping to get through the synch testing before being hit today. Instead he found himself focusing on the present, even if the present did have an irritated Asuka chewing him out. At least the day seemed like it was going to turn out well. Just one round of synch tests and the rest of the day for him to do with as he pleased. Nothing could be better than that.

The Tokyo-3 GeoFront was, to say the least, the penultimate human fortress. The perfect shield placed against the ultimate sword that was the Angels. Buried at its core was the HQ of NERV. Central Dogma.

It was rare event for the bridge of Central Dogma to be graced with the presence of commander Gendo Ikari, if graced was the right word. He had found himself with an extra hour with nothing more to do than sit on the bridge looking menacing. He had a well worn copy of Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil in one gloved hand but he wasn't really reading it.

He was spending his time thinking about his current scenario. So far everything was on schedule, the dummy plug system for Unit 01 would soon be fully functional. Which was fortunate, they would need it incase Shinji refused to fight the 13th.

It was a Saturday and half the GeoFront staff had found excuses to take the day off.. Most of that half were the bridge crew. Only Doctor Akagi and her assistant 2nd Lieutenant Ibuki were present on the bridge this morning. But even Fuyutsuki was away attending to other business and would not be back until tomorrow. This, he supposed, was what you got for hiring from the techno nerd dredges of society, but he could put up with it as long as they got the job done.

"Commander", a soft voice announced the arrival of Rei Ayanami.

Rei was the one living person that Gendo gave a damn about. That didn't stop him from seeing her as a tool, and a replaceable tool at that. But she was a tool that he took at least a little time to care for, after all she asked so little and gave her loyalty and affection so freely in return.

"Yes Rei?" He replied.

"Commander, I have a request."

He frowned as he turned to meet her, as much as he could frown considering his usual facial composure. Rei was in her school uniform, but why did she smell like LCL, and why were her arms bandaged like that. He had not been informed of her being injured.

Somebody in Section Two was dragging their ass, that would have to be dealt with.

"Very well Rei, what is-" Commander Ikari's words and train of thought were abruptly interrupted as he was overcome by the revelation that Rei had remarkable strong legs.

He slid from his chair, eyes crossed, clutching his groin.

"I would like an explanation . . . Ikari." Rei hissed coldly. Gendo had never heard her speak like that. In fact only one woman had ever been able to speak to him with that tone. He was so overcome by surprise and pain he forgot to be angry.

"Rei what do you think your doing" Doctor Akagi shouted. She was a blur of motion as she came rushing to the commanders aid.

"I want an explanation for what you've done to my son, and that poor Ayanami girl. If this is what you call a scenario then you were never the man I thought you were", Rei shouted angrily tears in her eyes. That did not stop those eyes from almost glowing with rage. She raised her hand to slap him, and was abruptly sent flying as Ritsuko tackled her to the floor. Already with a fast acting sedative in her hands. The dosage was probably a bit much, but who carried if Rei's IQ was twenty points bellow average after this was over with.

She was about to place the needle in Rei's pinned wrist when she reeled back. For the foremost expert on Rei's inhuman physiology she had not expected her to have such a hard skull. Ritsuko clutched her nose as blood pored from it.

By this time Gendo had regained enough of his composure by now to make sense of some of his situation. He drew himself to his full height. Rei ignoring the Doctor did the same, brushing off the front of her skirt as she did. "Rei, what is the meaning of this?"

Despite being a head and a half taller than her and outweighing her by a good ninety pounds Commander Ikari had the distinct feeling that he was failing to intimidate her. Unfortunately this didn't seem to work in reverse.

A sick smile played across Rei's face, it was hard to think of the pale girl as intimidating but at the moment she looked ready and able to kill.

"Gendo, you really should stop trying to stair me down", her voice was already growing horse due to the strain put on her weak vocal cords. She rubbed at her throat as she continued. "You always were a bit of pansy Gendo, seriously it took you a year to hop in bed with me after getting married. I distinctly remembered wondering if you intended to be a celibate."

Gendo's face went pale, his mouth went dry, and he had the feeling that if he hadn't been used to concealing his true motives from some of the most powerful men on earth he would probably have voided himself by now.

"Y-Yui?" Odd that . . . he couldn't remember the last time his voice had held such a quaver.

"Right in one Gendo no baka". Yui replied simply.

Ritsuko Akagi and Maya Ibuki just found themselves staring dumbly, the entire bridge was devoid of life other then a handful of Section Two agents who had now surrounded the seemingly insane Rei Ayanami. Even they seemed somewhat intimidated.

Gendo, supreme bastard king of NERV had two emotions going through his head that moment, one was joy. Their was little doubt in his mind, and he was trying very hard to doubt, that this was Yui. The other was dread, Yui seemed less then happy to see him.

"Sergeant, stand aside", Gendo ordered quietly. He walked slowly, and with a little difficulty he would likely be sore for several days. "Who are you to judge me . . ." Gendo said quietly.

". . .but my own conscience." Yui replied, still looking at him with anger.

Gendo nodded satisfied with the response. "All of you are to disavow all knowledge of this and leave immediately." The Section Two agents looked from one another nervously before filing out as the Commander ordered.

"Ms. Ibuki, Doctor Akagi, both of you should stay. Lock down the Magi sensors on the bridge now." The two unfortunate and now very confused souls did as they were ordered as well. Akagi tapped a command string into the system. "Ok, you have fifteen minutes, this isn't even going into the classified information section. As far as Casper is concerned none of this is happening. Now are you going to explain this Gendo, or do I need to beg."

Yui snorted slightly, "Gendo I can understand you needing someone to relieve the tension but did you have to choose Naoka's daughter. Admittedly I never expected her to turn out so bitchy."

Ritsuko's eyes widened. "Commander Ikari!"

Gendo raised his hand, "I don't think I understand either. All I'm sure of", he replied quietly, "Is that this . . . is Yui." His breathing was somewhat unsteady. He was certain it was his wife now, only one person had ever heard those words and he had only spoken them once.

"That's impossible, Yui was-"

"Trapped in Unit 01's core, yeah I know, and don't ask me how I'm out and about. I don't know either." She never let her cold stare leave Gendo. If looks had physical form then Gendo would be impaled on a red hot pin like an insect as Yui sadistically pulled his wings off. Though a very tiny part of his psyche was squeaking that he probably deserved that.

"I think I wanted to get out very badly, each time I synched with my son I wanted to be their for him more and more. The first thing I remember clearly is waking up last night crammed into the space under the seat of an entry plug with LCL surrounding me. I guess it took me about twenty minutes figuring out how to release myself. I got these", she motioned to her bandaged arms. "Pulling out a bunch of wires and feeder tubes imbedded in my arms and legs . . . I suppose that these are my arms and legs", she mused on her current physical condition.

"That doesn't explain how you managed to get clothed or find your way up here", Ritsuko countered, she was highly suspicious this was some sick joke Gendo had cooked up. Rei would follow his orders to the letter no matter how odd. She was going to get to the bottom of this.

She finally looked away from Gendo, the hate in her eyes subsiding as she sat down on the floor, spread her arms behind herself and closed her eyes. "I guess you wouldn't know what its like in their Ritsuko. Your a smart girl, you were even when I first met you. Your mother was very proud. But there is no way to truly explain it to someone who's never been their."

"Yui, please try", Gendo asked sincerely. He needed to know what his wife had been through. Part of him that had not surfaced in many years had taken control. The part of him that Yui had married.

"I felt them Gendo. I felt Shinji every time he synched, and I felt Rei during her cross synch test . . . She's a sweet girl, she doesn't deserve what you have planned, but she accepts it, you made her that way . . . I don't know if I can forgive you for that.

But every time they synch I get to see little parts of them and their memories and personalities. That how I know what's been going on Gendo. Its also how I know how the layout of the GeoFront had changed. And where to acquire spare clothes and bandages. Its fortunate for me that Rei knew so much about this place."

Ritsuko frowned, the answer made some sense but . . . "Its impossible for a soul to be removed from the core, even if you could get out the core would immediately try to pull you back. The only thing that would anchor your Ego Border would be another . . . Core.

"Rei's creation, is very similar to the EVAs, your soul must have been able to connect with Unit 01's dummy plug." Gendo thought out lowed.

"The only thing that would cling tighter to a soul then an EVAs core is Rei." Ritsuko concluded. "That . . . Shouldn't be possible." She bit her thumb, the synch spike during the dummy plug testing. "The system registered a 400 synch rate last night. But a dummy plug doesn't have any ego border. That was you asserting yourself in another body."

This was all making a scary sort of sense.

"Thank you for the explanation Ritsuko", Yui said cordially, she turned back to Gendo. "As for your 'scenario' I've had the better part of a decade to think and I refuse to let you carry on with it,." It was then that Gendo noted the slight, odd, stiffness with which she held her back.

Rei knew lots of things about the GeoFront, like the locations and combinations to the weapons lockers. The kinds of things that Yui would have found useful right now.

"I agree", Gendo replied honestly.

"I figured as- what?" She was startled.

"I agree," Gendo repeated "I have what I want back now I see no need to proceed." His eyes were tearing up, he pushed his glasses up to rub at his eyes. He had never before cried over the loss of his wife. But now she was back. And it didn't matter to him if she was trapped in the body of a fourteen year old Nephilim, he could talk to her. And he could spend time with her again. He no longer was reduced to hours spent late at nigh staring hatefully, longingly, into the eyes of Unit 01.

"That still depends Gendo, I can't say right now whether I want you back. Not to mention", she gestured to herself. "That my current condition would make our relationship rather awkward."

Gendo shook his head sadly. "I'm content just having you with me again, I ask nothing more. As for the rest, Yui, please let me try to redeem myself."

Yui just stared at him coldly Rei's blood red eyes gave her already intimidating glare a rather demonic affect, "we'll see Gendo, we'll see."

She seemed to take note of her surroundings for the first time. "So this is Central Dogma eh", seems a bit . . . Wasteful."

Ritsuko personally had to agree, all things considered Misato was happy with a command Van. And she got the job done. The NERV operations director had never called for spaciousness in her work place. Tremendous amounts of firepower, yes, space, not so much.

"Now then, when can I see my son." All three members of the NERV staff froze.

"Don't you think Shinji would be a little uneasy seeing you like this?" Gendo asked mildly. It was strange how quickly he could get back in the habit of trying to duck the wrath of the woman he had married.

"Gendo, I think the realization that he's essentially been sitting inside of me for the past few months is what's going to make him a little uneasy. Not that I've been reborn as a half angel doppleganger of a girl he has feelings for."

Gendo flinched, "I suppose he will have to know about the room of Gaff as well then . . ."

"No, too soon, I know my son Gendo, apparently better than you. He has a strong heart and he can take the truth, but too many revelations at once could confuse him. Both mentally and emotionally. We're going to need to ease him onto the idea, not just show him a . . . a . . . "

"Reiquarium?", Maya suggested.

"Exactly.", Yui agreed. "We have some time, we'll start him on some half truths, and work on from their."

"Very well", Gendo replied, "he will be here soon, about an hour. Major Katsuragi is bringing the children for a synch test . . . I suppose for now Unit 01 is useless" he mused idly. "We will debrief the children in my office."

"And the Major", Yui added.

"And the Major", Gendo agreed.

"Fair enough Gendo."

Yui looked about herself in disgust. "I could really use a Yebisu right now."

"I wouldn't advise that", Ritsuko said dryly. She pulled a small notebook from her lab coat, flipped through some pages and tossed it to Yui.

Her features were creased into a deep frown. "This looks like metabolic chemistry, but I'm not familiar enough with it. What does it all mean?"

"That's Rei's metabolism, and by extension yours. Essentially it says no alcohol, Rei has the constitution of your average daisy, and alcohol had some rather disturbing affects on her."

'At least Rei's a happy drunk', Ritsuko remembered when the girl had accidentally consumed some of Misato's sake, more distilled jet fuel admittedly.

After her first sip she was all over Ritsuko wanting to "have a good time" and attempting to kiss several NERV technicians. She'd ended up straddling Misato in a full body hug for half a day before she finally snapped out of it. She'd have a hangover for the rest of the week. Gendo had not been amused.

Since then Misato had been forbidden to ever imbibe Alcohol during working hours again. A rule that she had apparently not broken once since then.

'Well beggars cant be choosers.' Yui supposed.

"Why don't you pass the time while we wait for Shinji telling me what I _can _have . . . Rits. And maybe get some of it, I haven't had anything to eat in over a decade."

Ritsuko fixed Yui with a cold glare, this woman, girl, angel, whatever. She could already tell was going to piss her off.


	2. Mother?

Note: I don't own it people. Now on with the show. And please excuse if this chapteret isn't very good I just wanted to get past this part and move on to Yui's interactions with Shinji and Rei, and everyone else. Unit 01 will probably make a comeback in an equally interesting way. Oh yes and to all of you. THIS IS meant to be a Shinji Rei fic though its probably going to be a little awkward at first. Enjoy and Criticize my Suckiness!

Chapter Two: Mother?

Shinji was nervous, well panicking may have been more precise. He and Asuka had arrived on time. Misato had made certain of that . . . But as soon as they had stepped through the security doors a trio of Section Two agents had taken them by the arms and escorted now, hurrying them off down the winding corridors of NERV with Rei in tow close behind.

Shinji noted irritably that they did not bother giving Rei the same treatment he, Asuka, and even Misator, were receiving. He suspected a little guiltily that this was his father playing favorites.

They came to a stop in front of a door familiar to everyone present. Shinji had only been called here a few times. Mostly when his father was away on business by the sub commander.

They were all silent as the doors were opened, and then quickly shut behind them. There was the distinct click of a lock. The Section Two agents remained outside.

Shinji looked about himself, his fathers chair was turned at the far end of the room. A good twenty meters away. It was hard to even make any detail out from their place near the door. The dimly lit expanse of his fathers office seemed excessive to Shinji, even for his father. The man whose work involved building and commanding, humanities most powerful weapons.

"Major, Pilots, step closer", the Commander ordered, never turning his chair.

Rei did not hesitate to do as she was told, Shinji and Asuka were a little slower. Misato moved imperceptibly faster, getting slightly farther ahead than her two charges. Misato may not have known it, but she had very strong motherly instincts and something just didn't smell right.

The chair turned slowly as they approached with in five meters of the big wood desk. Gendo Ikari was there, fingers laced in his best scary retard pose. If it had been anyone else Misato knew she would have laughed. But the Commander seemed to have a talent for making even the most absurd gestures seem intimidating.

"Pilot Ikari, Pilot Ayanami, Pilot Soryu, Major Katsuragi". He chimed off as if daring anyone not on his short list to reveal themselves.

"Events within the last hour have . . . transpired that have led me to re-assess what information you should all be aware of."

Gendo Ikari was very good at keeping secretes, and though this was not the first time he had been required to reveal the truth, it was the first time that he had to do it gently.

"To be more specific, information regarding the dummy plug system, and how it relates to Rei."

Shinji could feel Rei stiffen slightly at his side. What did Rei know about this?

The dim lights of Gendo's office dimmed even further, engulfing the room in blackness. A holographic image appeared in front of Gendo Ikari's desk.

Yui, had apparently been giving this some thought. She had decided the would tell Shinji the truth about Rei, but they would soften it. Yui had been the one to tell Gendo what to say and how.

Images of EVA, and then a series of pictures of Rei Ayanami, growing up from child hood filled the holograms viewing space. It troubled Shinji, in the younger images he thought he could see love and happiness in those red orbs, appearing almost catlike in her four year old face.

"At the time of EVA's first initialization projects, several before unforseen difficulties arose. You see it is a half truth that only select children can pilot EVA.

Asuka seemed a little irritated at those words, she had lived her entire life thinking of piloting EVA as her talent, "So what's the full truth then?" She asked.

"First and foremost, the greatest necessity is that the pilot's Ego Border, conforms to a very tightly defined set of criteria. These conform very closely to the Ego Borders of the Angels."

"So are you saying the Pilots are chosen because they have something in common with the Angels?" Misato asked, this was starting to sound too strange. And what the hell was an Ego Border. She'd heard Ritsuko spout it a few time before . . .

Shinji tried to ask that same question aloud and only got a cold stare from his father.

"To be more precise, the criteria usually include that the Pilot has gone through significant emotional trauma, deeply affecting their psyche. Usually in the form of the loss of a loved one or . . . neglect."

Anger sparked in Shinji as he realized what those words meant. "IS THAT WHY YOU LEFT ME, SO I WOULD MAKE A GOOD PILOT!" He shouted.

His father ignored the outburst completely. Frankly it did not surprise Gendo that his son would react negatively to most of his fallowing words. And. That steadily more recovering part of him that was his once lost conscience was nagging that he was partly to blame.

"Secondly, EVA at the time of our initial activation attempts lacked something very important. That has been rectified in all of the currently functioning Units."

"And what might that be?" Misato asked.

Gendo lowered his glasses slowly, revealing his eyes. Then for the first time since they entered he answered the question. "A soul."

A chill filled the room. "Sir, what do you mean by that?" Misato asked, she was growing more uncomfortable by the moment. "It was discovered at a later date that Pilots best synchronize with an EVA whose soul has a strong desire to protect. Therefore, all of the souls within the current EVA's are from females, and all of them were mothers."

Misato looked shocked, Asuka looked like she was going to be sick, and Rei just stood their with her head down and her fists clenched. 'Why am I angry', she had never felt so intensely. 'Does it bother me that the Commander is going to tell Shinji about me?'

Shinji was pale. "Wha-what do you mean father, father your not saying that you . . ."

Gendo ignored his son's stuttered revelations.

Up until now he had told the whole truth, now the lie started to form, not so much lie as softening of the truth.

"At the time of the initial failures these conclusions had not yet been made. A stop gap measure was needed if we were to have a pilot available to fight the Angels. To put it simply, we needed a pilot that was capable of Synching with EVA. It was theorized that if certain Angel characteristics could be engineered into a child then that child would be able to synchronize correctly. However as research into this proceeded, new discoveries were made showing the importance of an appropriate Ego Border."

The Images changed from Rei and EVA to Rei and the pale bulk of a giant crucified to a wall. A lance embedded in its side.

"This . . . is the second Angel, Lilith." Gendo continued, their was a twisted smugness to his voice now. "And, Rei's mother."

"WHAT!"

The sound of three shocked voices was amplified by the cavernous expanse of the room.

"To be precise, Lilith provides part of Rei's DNA, with most of the rest coming from her human downer, Yui Ikari."

Shinji's legs bucked violently as he heard his mothers name, he found himself slowly edging away from Rei as if she was something unclean and demonic.

He didn't notice the single tear running down the side of her face.

"Why would you do something like this?", Misato had pulled her gun, though she wasn't certain whether to aim at the Commander or his pet Angel.

"Because, like I said we needed an appropriate ego border, and the only available at the time was Lilith. Rei is not merely born of Lilith, she holds within her a part of Lilith's soul, giving her a will that her sisters do not possess."

"Sisters?" Shinji asked feeling uneasy.

The images changed again. Now they were just Rei, or Rei's, over a dozen of them floating nude in LCL.

"Rei you see, is the core of the dummy plug system. The Autopilot we have developed for EVA. The clones are continuously updated during Rei's harmonics tests. Her clones also guarantee that Rei cannot die. She can be killed, but her memories are kept stored in the Magi for download into her sisters. And her soul will return to Lilith after death, making resurrection a simple process of re-distillation."

The way he spoke those words, he it sounded like he thought of Rei as a cheap beverage.

Asuka, Misato, and Shinji were now standing well away from Rei. In fact Shinji was edging his towards the door. He wanted, needed this to be some sick joke. No one was laughing.

The next words came from the least likely source. "Commander Ikari. Why did you tell them?"

"Because, Ms. Ayanami, Rei, as brutal as this is they need to know what you are. Or they might have reacted more violently to my appearance."

Shinji almost leapt from his skin as slim hands emerged from the shadow, turned him, and wrapped him in a tight embrace. He saw the azure hair on that head. It was Rei!

Yet he could still see Rei standing, and staring almost emotionlessly at the girl now hugging him so fiercely he thought his lungs were going to explode. Emotionlessly to anyone but him. To him she seemed, confused, shocked, and . . . perhaps . . . sad?

The girl loosened the hug and pushed Shinji's head up, pressing her own forehead against his, she studied his face, ran her hands down the sides of his head, feeling his shoulders and arms, and then holding his hands tight in a flurry of motion as if she was trying to size him up.

"Shinji, I know . . . I know you probably, don't remember me. And I'm sure you don't recognize me now." The voice was shaky and sad. 'What did you expect this to be easy?'

The voice was very much like Rei's though slightly louder and with a firmness that Rei did not possess. Something was so familiar about the way those eyes looked at him. This was one of Rei's clones, it had to be.

But those eyes, despite being red were not Rei's eyes.

And that face, despite being young and pretty, did not hold the innocence that he saw in Rei. It all looked so familiar. It suddenly drove home as impossible as it was like a pile driver.

"M-m-mother?" He asked uncertain.

She hugged him tight again, he could feel her shuddering slightly. She was crying, he draped his arms around her, but there was no strength left in them to tighten his grip.

"Shinji, Im so sorry Shinji, I never meant to be gone like that, I'm so sorry."

"How is this possible." Asuka whispered.

She had backed closest to Commander Ikari's desk, and her words were just within his ear shot. "The core of Unit 01 holds a soul just like all of the EVA's. To be precise, Yui's soul. She has been trapped inside of Unit 01 for nearly a decade."

"I remember", Shinji muttered sadly, he remembered his mother smiling before she had entered Unit 01's entry plug for the last time. And now, here she was right next to him, hugging him tight.

"So how did you get out of Unit 01?", it was again Misato. She didn't see how this all added up.

Yui pushed gently away from her son, "From what Ritsuko says, their was a glitch in Unit 01's dummy plug system, a one in a million hiccup during their testing and I was able to achieve a 400 synch with the dummy plug. My soul was transferred from EVA to the dummy clone in Unit 01's plug. It took me a while to get out of there, the plug design has changed quite a bit."

Shinji noticed now the bandages rapped tight on his mothers arms. "What happened?" He asked concerned.

Yui looked down at her arms. "Oh these. I got these getting out of Unit 01, just my own stupidity in the dark." She responded.

Shinji was too shocked to do anything but accept it at face value. His mother hugged him tight again, and despite her small frame, it somehow made him feel safe and protected.

When she looked into his face again Yui saw the haunted look in his eyes and traced it back to Rei. 'Damn, I guess we really didn't soften it up one bit. If anything this has made it worse. Maybe their isn't an easy way to explain it.' Yui decided she would have to just work with it as it was. "Ms. Ayanami", Yui spoke gently. Rei's head was hunched low, hiding her face, knuckled white, her nails digging into the palms of her hands.

Rei thought for a moment, 'Yui Ikari is the commanders wife, he seems to agree that this is Yui Ikari. The Commander seems to love his wife. So it would be appropriate for me to respond.'

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Come here"

"Yes Ma'am"

Shinji stiffened as Rei trudged up to him. He was still frightened and wanted to protest her proximity when his mother abruptly extended her hug, pulling Rei close to Shinji. He could feel her stiffen, then slowly melt into the hug. He could smell her, and feel her. Somehow he could feel that she was different, her body language was totally different from his mothers.

It made him a little uncomfortable. But his mother hugged him tighter, forcing him to stay. He didn't know what else to do. He just stood their, and accepted for this moment, that everything was ok.


	3. Sister?

Still don't own anything. And I apologize but I've never quite figured out the layout of Misato's apartment so if how the groups are isolated is impossible then just chock it up to slightly parallel universe, yes that's it . . .

Chapter Three Living: Sister?

For Asuka, the whole situation was just too surreal. On her left, sat a nervous Misato, and an equally complacent wondergirl. To her left sat a somewhat happy though still a little confused Shinji, a girl who claimed to be his mother reincarnated in one of Rei's clones and an uneasy Gendo Ikari.  
They were currently sitting around Misato's apartment. Yui had demanded to see how her son was living and seemed more or less satisfied. Gendo just looked uncomfortable but strangely content as Yui's slim hand lay on his own.  
Shinji's dad had never struck Asuka as an actual human being, but now that she thought about it, their must have been some redeeming qualities in him at some time or Shinji's mother would never have married him. What had she expected, Shinji to have been born in a test tube?

She flinched slightly. Unfortunately Rei really had been born in a test tube. 'Well, that explains a lot.' Part of her wanted to laugh at the irony that Rei really was a doll in every sense of the word. A manikin that was able to walk and talk. But she suppressed it guiltily. She really wasn't sure what to think of Rei now. Her own past was dark . . . Rei's though was darker.  
"So Shinji, why don't you tell me about those boys Touji and Kensuke, their your friends right?"  
"Y-yes, their nice, they've been good friends ever since I met them . . ." Shinji froze, Yui's blood red eyes were inches from his, a wicked smile on her face.

"I advise you don't lie to me dear, don't forget I know quite a lot about your life. The images may be blurry but I distinctly remember you getting beaten up by one of those boys."  
"Well," Shinji replied defensively, "He had good reason, his sister got hurt when Unit 01 one went berserk."  
Yui's smile faded, she looked sad now. "I'm sorry Shinji, that's my fault." She said softly.  
'What?' Shinji wondered, then the realization hit home on what his mother had been for the last ten years. 'She's the one who's fighting when EVA goes berserk she was trying to protect me!'  
Everyone was surprised at what happened next. "Yui, people are bound to be harmed during battles." Gendo said gently, squeezing her hand. "That girl was as likely to be harmed by Shinji as by you in the fight. It was beyond anyone's control that she was injured."

"I know Gendo", Yui muttered quietly.

He face transformed going from sad to mischievous as she pulled Shinji up. "I haven't had anything to eat in ages, literally. I think I would like to try some of my sons cooking", Shinji found himself being dragged off to the kitchen by his mother. Gendo just continued to sit quietly.

"Commander." That word was whispered by the standards of a girl who spoke in whispers.

Asuka and Misato looked to Rei as she sat their quietly, she had kept her head bowed for most of the ride to Misato's home, and during the proceedings.

"Yes Rei." The Commanders equally firm voice replied.

Her head came up, and all three of them, Gendo included found themselves looking into eyes now filled with very uncharacteristic confusion. "What will happen to me now?"

Gendo did not hesitate to answer. "You will continue to carry out your duties as the Pilot of Unit 00", Gendo replied firmly.

The emotion vanished from Rei's face once more, "Yes Sir. Excuse me. I should go", Rei rose quietly and headed for the door.

"Hey, uhm Rei", Misato's voice was uncharacteristically quiet, it was the same uncertain voice she had used the first night Shinji had come to live with her when telling him how brave he had been. Asuka had heard the tone only a very few times by now, she mockingly called it Misato's sisterly voice.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Why don't you stay, it's almost lunchtime. And I think we need to talk about all of this."

Rei paused for a moment, and then continued putting on her shoes. "There is nothing to discuss, you know what I am and have already come to your own conclusions about my nature."

She was almost out the door when Asuka finally snapped. She stood up strait, "Hay wondergirl, your Commanding Officer just told you to do something. Be a good doll and sit down!"

Rei turned at looked at Asuka. "I am not a doll", she replied.

Any other day Asuka would have simply kept tormenting Rei, but she had an objective today. "Oh really, prove it. Get back in here and park your genetically engineered backside wondergirl, we're going to talk about this."

Rei blinked a few times. Looked to Commander Ikari who did not seem to care one way or the other. She took her shoes off, and paced back to the couch.

"Rei, what do you think I think of you?" Misato asked, she really was curious.

Rei answered emotionless but honest. "For the entirety of our relationship I have been under your Command as a pilot. It is my purpose. As I am expected to enter combat, I am considered expandable both tactically and strategically."

"Rei . . . Rei, you are not expendable. Do you think I see Shinji or Asuka as expendable?" Misato shouted angry.

"Their circumstances are different, they are unique. There are ample replacements for me. If I die, my memories and soul will be transferred to the next. It has happened once since my initial activation fourteen years ago, and I expect it will happen again."

Misato gapped, slowly working her mouth. "What do you mean it's happened once?"

"When I was four years old, Doctor Noaka Akagi strangled me to death, and then committed suicide."

'Ritsuko's mother?'

"W-why?" Misato asked.

"I do not know, my most recent harmonics test had been three days prior so memories of my murder are not available. I was not reactivated until it was deemed time for me to begin learning the operation of EVA and basic NERV operating procedures.

"When was that?" Misato asked, why did she have a bad feeling about this.

"Four years ago."

Misato coughed, "WHAT!" She had met Rei about that time.

Rei seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Our fist meeting was six days after my reactivation."

Misato shuddered, Rei spoke of herself as a machine, her activation, not her birth, or even her creation.

And what about her education, Misato had never doubted that a very intelligent mind lay behind those eyes, but how the hell did you catch up on six years enough to function in only the two she had been given before being enrolled in school?

She looked menacingly at the Commander. "Sir, how could you do something like this?" Misato wanted to throttle the man.

The room had become silent, she wanted to yell at someone, probably Commander Ikari, but it wouldn't achieve anything, as much as she hated the man now. For what he had done to Shinji, his own son, and for creating such a wretched twisted being as Rei who had to suffer because thanks to the wishes of wicked men.

"Rei", Misato spoke shakily, "I want you to know, that I've always thought of you as being just as important as Shinji and Asuka. And knowing what you are doesn't . . . doesn't change a thing in my mind. Do you understand that Rei?"

Rei bobbed her head slowly. "Yes Ma'am".

Misato did her best to smile. "Misato".

"Ma'am?"

"Call me Misato off duty." Misato said, trying to show some of her old cheeriness.

"Yes . . . Misato", Rei replied. She got up to go again.

Asuka grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her down. "Where do you think your going?"

"You wished to speak to me about your opinion of me. You have done that. There is no reason for me to stay any longer."

Asuka snorted. "If you weren't listening Misato asked you to stay for dinner."

Rei seemed to accept this and sat down again quietly between Misato and Asuka. Almost on impulse Misato pulled the poor kid into a hug. Rei seemed a little stiff, as if she was unused to people showing her affection. The sad truth was, that she was.

'This is . . . pleasant', Rei thought, 'Though not as pleasant as being close to Ikari'. Her mind wondered off to the first embrace she had ever been given, only an hour and a half before. There was much to consider, about her purpose, and, perhaps her wishes. 'My own desires. I will need to study them at length.' She thought as she melted into the Major's arms.

The entire room was ruled over by a comfortable silence now, the kind usually reserved only for libraries and churches, despite the presence of NERV's supreme bastard king. It stayed like that for over five minutes. Misato noticed that Rei had fallen asleep, the girls head was snuggled softly against her chest. It was kind of nice in a maternal sort of way. She forgot that Rei was a half Angel, a Nephilim. 'I should hate her'. Misato thought ashamed. The 1st Angel had killed her father, and from then on she had vowed not to let another little girl grow up without a father because of them. 'But I don't hate her, she's never caused me any harm. She's always so quiet. She doesn't deserve the suffering she's had to go through'.

Asuka finally got up and stretched. "I'm going to go tell the baka to make enough food for six." She decided aloud as she walked back towards her room, stopping by the kitchen long enough to shout in on Shinji her demand for lunch.

Misato's eyes turned to Commander Ikari, it took a few moments for what she saw to register. The Commander sat staring, Pen Pen stared back. It seemed like some absurd battle of the wills. Misato would have laughed accept for fear of waking Rei or agitating the man who was still her superior officer.

'Damn him', Misato thought bitterly. If only their was someway to get him arrested for this. But she imagined that any inquiry would side with Gendo on his actions if such methods were at their time considered the only possible means to thee ends. And Misato had to agree, bitter as it was.

'Rei needs somebody to care for her', even Shinji had done better with a little affection, 'I promise Rei, I'll try and help you'. Misato swore quietly to herself, it was all she could do for her. Gendo finally moved from his seat, grabbing his jacket as he went. "Major tell Yui that I wish I could stay, but I have to be going. There is much to be done if she is to be among the living again."

Misato nodded, "So are you creating a new false background?"

Gendo shook his head. "She's decided to use Rei's last name. We can tell people they are siblings, that will cut down on risks to detection by using an established paper trail". 'And SEELE hopefully will just think this is another Dummy Plug experiment'. Gendo knew that the shell of lies needed to pull something like this would be, by necessity, quite complex.

He paused before heading out the front door. "We will continue this later".

"Wark", Pen Pen responded.

Misato just blinked stupidly. Pen Pen looked at her knowingly for a moment and then waddled back towards the kitchen. She wondered how Shinji was doing.

Yui watched her son. The son she thought she would never again see in anything but a plug suit. He seemed happy when he cooked. He was doing something that he was good at, and he was content that he brought joy to others doing it. And that was what mattered, her son was happy. What more could she want.

Unfortunately, Yui was not a particularly good cook. She failed miserably to chop even the vegetables despite great care.

She stopped her butchery of the unfortunate carrots for a moment. She held the root in her hands. Feeling the texture, she closed her eyes to focus on the sensations.

"Mother?"

Shinji looked at her worried. Yui moved to reassure him.

"Its just been so long since I've been able to really feel anything Shinji.", she said, her voice quavering. She smelled the food cooking. Rice, fried vegetables, meat, and the sharp smells of spices. She wanted to cry as she realized how barren her existence had been of sensory input for the past ten years.

Shinji just looked at her nervously and accepted her words. He kept trying but other than seeing vague hints, he could not find Rei in that face. It was Rei's face and he could see that it was the same. But after over half a year of studying the strange albino he knew her better then perhaps anyone else. No that wasn't true, his father had known her better than him, he thought in, he didn't know what to feel when he thought about Rei now. What was she? Was she even a person?

'Is she really even alive?' He thought.

His depressed musing about one of the strangest people in his life was cut short by his mother's happy squeal.

"Ooooohh, and who might you be", she said in the manner reserved for extremely small children and adorable animals. She had her hands on her knees smiling as she studied Pen Pen.

Poor Pen Pen was confused. First his mistress had decided to bring home that odd man whom she called the Commander respectfully to his face, and sometimes the bastard king when she spoke of him in private. The man had dared to stare at him, attempting to beat him at his own game of intimidation. Hah, fat chance of that!

Now the odd girl that had come over once before was back. The one with the strange hair and eyes. She had been cordial enough when he had met her. Propping him up in her lap and being politely silent. He had watched that girl from his hiding place near a house plant, and the other girl that looked like her. This one was quite a bit more boisterous.

But then again . . . she did rub his head just the right way. He shook furiously for a few seconds and then waddled over to his fridge. He gave the girl a nod of acceptance and waddled in.

Shinji went back to work on lunch, stir fry was pretty straightforward and would fulfill the need to feed three or four adults and a couple of vegetarians. Which meant just about enough to feed Misato and Asuka on a good day.

"Um, Shinji. We need to talk." His mother said, not turning from her work as she spoke.

"About what?"

"Ayanami."

Shinji paused uncomfortably. "What am I supposed to think about her, I mean isn't me liking her like that, like, incest or something!"

Yui shrugged, "That's actually up for debate. Literally speaking she's your half sister." Yui agreed.

Shinji flinched as his own traitorous mind decided to make him feel worse. 'God, I groped her, I groped my own sister', he felt a little shaky and ill now.

Yui noticed this, she'd seen enough of her sons self hating nature to have a good idea it was him beating himself up over how he had felt and acted with Ayanami. She continued. "Shinji, think about it this way, most of the DNA that I provided is common to both Angels and Humans. And your forgetting just how inhuman her genetics is. Genetically speaking, while she is my daughter her relationship to either of us is barely within the same genus."

Shinji looked at her shaking his head angrily, "That doesn't change a thing. I've . . ."

"You've thought about her as any boy will think about an attractive girl." His mother said teasingly. "You're just going to have to take my words on faith Shinji. She's your sister only if that is the way you wish to see her."

"You're the last person I would have expected to say something like this", he mumbled as he focused on his cooking, trying to drive all thought away.

His mothers smile was sad, "Shinji I've spent my life in three different bodies so far, all of them different, nobody can go through that without becoming detached to certain things like pre-conceived notions of what constitutes a blood relationship."

Shinji just focused harder on his stir fry.

Yui saw she wasn't going to get anymore out of him, she was a little ashamed and part of her screamed that she needed to stay her and help her son. And . . . as much as she wanted to she couldn't put the blame for this entirely on Gendo. 'He had a good reason in his own mind. His quirkiness is why I married him', she reminded herself sternly. When he had been younger Gendo really had been a good man. She wondered how Shinji would have turned out if his father and been able to bridge the gap and love him in her place. An image of Shinji wearing dark sunglasses and white gloves flashed through her mind. It almost made her double over laughing as she went back to the living room.

Misato was laying quietly with the TV on low, Rei using her as a pillow in her sleep. "Where is Gendo?" Yui asked. The Major gave Rei a quick look, and then realized who was speaking. The voices sounded different, but only in the way identical twins would sound different.

"Oh, he said he needed to take care of some paperwork." Misato replied in a whisper, still afraid to wake Rei.

"I see." Yui took a seat next to Rei and combed a hand through the girls short azure hair. "I feel sorry for her", Misato whispered.

Yui looked at her. "It sickens me what my husband had done, I apologize", Yui replied sincerely. "But he had the best of intentions, maybe not honorable intentions, or selfless, but his reasons were good in his own mind. If you pity Rei, then I ask that you also pity him."

Misato looked at Yui, a woman and a mother who had been trapped once within the shell of Unit 01 and now within the body of a Nephilim. Shinji could barely remember his mother, but Misato could see where he got his kind and forgiving to the point of self hating nature. Obviously Yui hadn't been around long enough to give him a lesson in character building.

"I was thinking about my talk with Shinji." Yui began.

"Oh yeah, what did you talk about." Misato asked.

"He's a bit troubled . . . he's for the moment latched to the idea that he's been considering unforgivable sin."

"What's that?" Misato asked, she couldn't think of anything that Shinji would consider that could possibly be considered that disgusting. Well Pen Pen was acting strangely . . . oh god he wasn't . . ."

"Incest", Yui said simply.

"Oh", Misato said, thrown a little off. She looked down at Rei. "Oh." Their was an uncomfortable pause.

"Well, is it?"

Yui shook her head. "Not really, but he has the notion driven into his skull as firmly as Gendo's belief that gloves are cool."

"So, she's not his sister?"

"She is."

"Than it would be incest." Misato insisted

"No, not really."

Misato sighed, "Okay explain it to me then."

"It's a matter of philosophy over science, I suppose." Yui stared at the TV, a movie she hadn't seen since she was a teenager the first time, was on.

"Rei's genetic makeup is comprised of about fifty percent human and fifty percent angel DNA. Give or take a few percentage points."

Misato nodded dumbly.

"My DNA was the source for her human half, so if you want a philosophical answer. Yes she is Shinji's sister, but by the same coin that technically makes me his sister too." Yui continued, she seemed to muse on that one.

"Now like I was saying, Rei's angel half however pretty much dissociates her from the rest of the human race. Despite the similarities between Angel and Human DNA there are quite a few irreconcilable differences in their basic makeup which means that Rei's genetic structure had to be drastically altered. Due to her purpose most of those alterations had to be made to her human genome. So from the standpoint of their genetic relation they are not even the same Genus. So if we can get him around that block then her should be fine."

"Ah so it was bestiality", Misato said without thinking.

"What was that?"

Misato found Yui's eyes staring her in the face, looking very suspicious that she should by all rights be angry with that mumbled comment.

"Oh, nothing, s-sorry Mrs. Ikari, uh, how did you know about all this", she stuttered.

"Yui" She corrected. "And as for the filler, I asked Naoka's girl, she's a nice kid, a bit bitchy thought. I imagine she's angry I broke her nose."

"Uh, ok . . . Yui". Misato felt a little nervous. 'Scary, she could even intimidate the Commander. Probably why he married her.' She thought darkly.

She was broken off that track by the faint smile on Yui's face.

"What is it?" Misato asked.

Yui started giggling. "It's just that, when I was little, I always wanted to have a twin sister."

Misato stared dumbly, it was official the world was too strange a place to live in unintoxicated. She got up slowly, careful not to wake Rei as she propped the girl with a pillow.

"Where are you going?" Yui asked.

"Getting a Yebisu, I need a drink." Misato replied.

Misato was sure she heard a mumbled "lucky bitch", as she headed for the repository of her favorite beverage.

Dinner was served soon after. In Yui's opinion it was quite good.


	4. Checkmate, Realization, Please Don't Go

Still Dont own anything, and Im sorry if this seems a bit extreme. Please feel free tohit me with a mallet if you like.

Chapter Four: Checkmate, Revelations, Please Don't Go

"Ikari, what is the meaning of this!" Gendo was impressed. The SEELE members had reacted quickly when they discovered that their were two Rei's walking about. At least they didn't know much about the second one. He decided to play dumb.

"What would you be speaking of?"

SEELE 01 answered, Kiel Lorenz's monolith lighting slightly to differentiate the speaker from the rest. "We know about the second Nephilim Ikari, there is not to be more than one at any singular time. The soul of Lilith could be irrevocably damaged if more was taken from it."

Ikari responded honestly. "Nothing has been taken from Lilith, the Nephilim does not hold a part of her soul. There is no risk of degradation."

The SEELE members all opened up now, angry. "Then tell us Ikari, why is their a second walking about!"

This was where the lying began. "You are all aware of the dummy plug initiatives recent advancements. Several major breakthroughs have been made that we believed should be employed in a testing environment."

"So it is a Dummy?" SEELE 03 asked.

"Yes, as has been said the Dummy Plug system is based off of Pilot Ayanami's experiences, this is an experiment to see whether direct experience will provide a more viable Dummy Plug core." Gendo replied. The lie would hopefully make sense in the eyes of the SEELE members. The Dummy Plug system was vital to their plans and as a back up if unforseen difficulties emerged.

SEELE 01 answered after several moment of deliberation. "We will allow this experiment to continue Gendo, we expect regular reports on the Synchronization rates . . . The Dummy plugs are still of Lilith, if it begins to act strangely you are to terminate it with extreme prejudice."

None of the SEELE member noticed the slight clenching of Gendo's jaw, or how he tightened the lacing of his gloved fingers. "Of course."

"Very good then Gendo", SEELE 03 began to speak. "Have preparations been made for the 13th Angels' arrival?"

"The dummy plug system for Unit 01 is operational, it will function as required." Gendo did not mention that it would not be needed. Even as he spoke over sixty Section Two agents were securing the area where Unit 03 was being prepared for its initial activation. It was obvious from the scrolls description of events that the 13th was going to infect Unit 03. Gendo had sent a fully decontamination team along to take the EVA apart. By next evening there would be barely any pieces left of EVA 03 big enough to stuff in a matchbox.

SEELE would by then realize something was amiss. But it would be too late for them to do anything even if they took drastic action. He had already made arrangements for the surgery with Doctor Akagi, within the hour Adam would be a fine paste of LCL is his gloved fist.

"All is as it should be then. Gendo, don't fail us." The SEELE monoliths faded out leaving Gendo alone in his office. He smirked. "Checkmate".

Shinji Ikari awoke tired and dry mouthed.

Asuka Langley Soryu awoke hungry and ready to kill said dry mouthed Ikari.

Yui Ikari woke still chewing on her pillow as she lay about two meters from her son's bed on her own futon. Her presence at Misato's home meant that Gendo had over half of Section Two monitoring the apartment 24/7. She had to admit it was sweet knowing he cared so much. Though she imagined the Section Two agents were quite confused.

And Rei Ayanami remained asleep. She had slept over at Misato's apartment at the Major's request, and without the sound of construction to wake her she was quite content to simply rest.

Chaos was the order of the day as Asuka tried to kill Shinji as per her morning ritual, with the addition Yui trying to restrain her. Pen Pen watched the whole thing with mild relief. It appeared that after yesterday things were back to normal. Rei slept through it all.

"So what are you going to do today?" Yui asked her son as he finished cleaning up the mess made cooking breakfast. She had a pretty good idea that he would have wanted to just lounge about, but it would be nice to get him to go do something. And then there was Rei. Even over dinner the night before his eyes had moved over her like she wasn't there. To be more precise, as if he was afraid he would realize she was there. "Uh well, yesterday I was going to ask . . ."

"Hmmm?", Yui turned to look at her sons downcast face.

"I was going to ask Ayanami if she wanted to go to a movie." He finished tonelessly.

"Well . . . why don't you ask her today?" Yui asked, acting as if their was nothing out of the ordinary, as if she hadn't been trapped in a not so jolly purple giant for ten years.

The only way she could think of getting it through to Shinji that his relationship with Rei was okay was to lead by example.

"I, just can't, I'm . . . I'm afraid of her." He whimpered. The shock of his mother coming back from the grave, and the trauma brought on by his revelation of what Rei was had driven his psyche into a firmly rooted stance.

'This calls for drastic measures'. Yui was a gentle woman, but when her patients wore thin she could be moved to rather reckless, inadvisable, behavior. Mostly inadvisable. It should be noted that she wasn't very patient.

Shinji nearly had a heart attack as she pulled his head down and kissed him full on the lips. He froze, panicked, struggled and then forced himself away breathing deeply.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT!" He screamed and began spitting into the sink.

Yui shrugged. "Testing a theory, and you know what."

"W-what?" He looked up confused, shocked, and feeling a little queasy.

"I was right, you do like Rei." She said teasing.

Shinji shook his head, "I . . . I don't . . ."

"Shinji, its perfectly natural, your mind saw me, but your body saw Rei. I can tell by how you kissed just when our lips met. And then once your mind caught up you panicked." Yui's smile was mischievous, "At least I can tell my Son's a good kisser."

Their was a soft thump as Shinji slid to the floor moaning.

'Maybe that wasn't such a good idea', Yui admitted.

She kneeled down next to her son and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Shinji, I want you to tell me, why do you fear Rei."

Shinji stuttered for a few moments usually when he looked this pathetic people just went away. His mother wasn't going to do that. Only one other person had ever just sat their and tried to speak with him even at his most pathetic. Rei.

"If what you say is true then . . . she's an Angel. Its just, when I first met her . . . . she was hurt an in pain . . . because of those . . . because of those things!" He finally managed to stutter out. "I used to . . . like her sort of . . . but now its just dark . . . she seems so dark."

"We fear what we don't understand", Yui whispered to herself, well then she would have to make him understand. "Shinji come with me." She pulled him up gently, holding his hand as they walked down the hallway to Asuka's room.

She opened the door and nudged him inside.

There was Ayanami, tucked in under the blankets snoring softly. The room was lit by the late morning sun and her skin fairly seemed to glow. She looked so frail and peaceful that for a moment he wasn't afraid.

"See Shinji, there's nothing to fear." Yui whispered gently.

Shinji just nodded stupidly.

She got down on her hands and knee's behind her new twin and nudged her gently. "Rei . . . Rei." Rei's face twitched for a moment, her eyes opened slowly looking first to Yui and then to Shinji.

"Good morning", she spoke as she sat up, the blanket clinging to her.

"Good morning", Yui replied kindly.

Rei just stared at Shinji . . . Shinji looked back, frightened, ashamed.

"G-good morning, Ayanami." He finally stuttered.

Rei seemed to accept this and got up. Yui quickly turned Shinji around. Rei had gone to bed later than Asuka, which meant nobody had been given a chance to complain about Rei's sleep wear, or lack thereof.

Shinji was pushed out gently but forcefully by his mother. The door to the room was slammed shut and a rustling could be heard accompanied by hushed voices.

When it finally opened five minutes later Rei was in a t-shirt that came down nearly to her knees and had a pair of shorts under that. She looked for all the world like a normal kid just waking up on a Sunday morning. Other than her absurd hair and eyes, but that was a moot point.

That sense of normalness finally forced Shinji to accept her if uncomfortably for who she was. Rei, the Rei who had taken a blast from Ramiel's particle cannon for him, and the Rei who had been in so much pain when he had met her.

"Uhm . . . I'll go make you some breakfast." Shinji said, a little less nervously.

"Thank you Shinji", Rei said softly.

He paused. "You're . . . You're welcome Rei."

'That wasn't too bad', he reassured himself as he headed back to the kitchen. 'Rei doesn't eat meat', her reminded himself. It was easier to keep that in mind with two vegetarians now.

Yui occupied herself sitting in front of the TV listening to a 'scientific' documentary on the Angels. 'I'll give NERV credit, their good at handing out half truths.' It seemed that the general populace was being told that the Angels were some unknown aggressors that had to reach a specific point on the earth's surface. The GeoFront to be precise and breach it in order to initiate a self destruct as powerful as 2nd impact and wipe the human race out. A more or less accurate assessment, it allowed the populace to know the importance of Tokyo-3 and the EVA's without worrying them about the agenda's of NERV or SEELE.Asuka was practically bored to tears by the whole thing. She lay their watching just to have something, anything to do. Hikari was busy handling a meeting amongst the class representatives, leaving her stuck with baka Shinji, Wondergirl, and Yui, who she had yet to come up with a derogatory nickname for.

"Why are you so mean to him?" Yui asked, not turning her attention from the TV, she had a bad habit of doing that. Paying attention to two things at once. It was a little disconcerting.

"What are you talking about?" Asuka snapped. "You mean Shinji? Your son's a little baka pervert." Asuka said with little interest.

Yui's eyes were in her face in a second. That was another of her odd habits, and probably something Shinji would have picked up if she had been around when he was growing up. It somehow managed to make her intimidating at need. "Why do you think he's a pervert?"

"BECAUSE I've seen how he looks at me!"

"Like you're an attractive member of the opposite sex who hates his guts?" Yui asked mildly.

Asuka blinked. "You have no idea what he thinks about me!" She shouted angrily.

"On the contrary I have quite a good idea. He admires you, though your abuse has probably ruined any chance of a meaningful relationship."

Asuka just looked unconvinced. Yui rolled back over to look at the TV.

"He didn't kiss you that night."

"What?"

"When you were sleeping, he didn't kiss you in your sleep. He wanted to help because you were having a nightmare. And it made him . . . angry that you would show the world such a false shell instead of accepting help."

Asuka snapped. She rose up and struck Yui across the face hard enough to send the frail girl reeling. "Shut the hell up wonderbitch!" She screamed. She didn't give a damn if she wasn't Rei. It was a release for all the tension. Heading back to her room to get dressed she was out the door in a matter of minutes.

Yui rubbed her cheek, Asuka had hit he with the heel of her palm coming down first. 'That might actually bruise'. She just looked at the closed door for a few more minutes. Shinji and Rei had heard the whole thing and now stood observing the after affects.

'Guess this proves I was arrogant', Yui finally thought to herself. Sure she knew everything about her sons head, and even a little about Rei's. But she didn't really know anything about Asuka. She was nothing like her mother. Kyouko Zeplin Soryu would have beat the crap out of her daughter for ever acting like that.

"Are you hurt Mrs. Ikari?" Rei asked as she looked at the red hand print spread across Yui's face.

"Just my pride", Yui replied.

"Why did Asuka snap like that?" Shinji asked a bit alarmed. His mother was odd, he would admit even from the day she had been back he was getting the feeling she was a bit acentric despite her kind and loving personality. But what could she have done to anger Asuka like that. Even Misato rarely managed to get physical retaliation from the fiery German Girl.

"I think . . . I hurt her feelings." She said after some deliberation.

"Huh, how."

Yui just looked back to the door. "Some people have dark ghosts in their pasts. I just hope she can reach a reconciliation with her past." Yui muttered.

'Like Ayanami?' Shinji wondered.

He looked at the albino girl who had taken a seat staring mildly interested at the TV. Shinji ventured a glance. It was apparent Ayanami had not been interest in hearing false a false retelling of 2nd Impact. She had changed the channel eventually stopping on one playing Anime. One of those cheesy old ones with giant robots being used by secret organizations and . . . Shinji almost laughed at just how much of a parallel could be drawn between old cartoons and the life he now lived.

Yui just kept looking at the door worried.

She headed back to Shinji's room. It was her fault Asuka had run off like that, so if was her responsibility to fix it. Yui had the distinct feeling Asuka was not the most emotionally balanced of people.

They had stopped at a clothing store the night before on the way from NERV to Misato's apartment. A small duffel bag with a couple changes of clothes lay in Shinji's room. She cursed her own idiocy as she pulled on a light pink windbreaker. He hands were still a bit clumsy with her most recent experiences involving motor control being primarily destructive in nature.

She was to the door in an instant all other thoughts forgotten as she stormed out. Leaving Shinji staring blankly and Rei wondering just how practical a giant robot with three pilots was.

Asuka kept walking head hunched drown, tears trickling down her face. 'Damn Rei, damn Shinji, damn that father of his, and damn his mother. I do not live to be judged by them.' Asuka had by now managed to make it half a block, pace quickened in an attempt to escape from her troubles.

'But then, why did it hurt when she said Shinji didn't kiss me and was angry at me?' She wasn't certain how long she walked, she was pretty sure she doubled back a few times, she finally ended up in a park not too far from Misato's apartment, no more than two or three blocks distant.

"Baka Shinji", she whispered angry. 'But he's always tried to help me'. She hated him more for it, for leaving her indebted.

"Wondergirl", she hissed. 'She's never hurt me or been mean when I insult her.' She hated her more for never fighting back, never giving her a challenge, or a release for her own misery.

"Yui", she said the name like a curse. 'I don't even know the woman, and she certainly doesn't know me. And why does she trust Baka Shinji so much? Why is she so sure he isn't a pervert.' She was avoiding what she really thought.

Why did Shinji get to have a mother who loved him. Why did I worm like him get back a mother who was so caring. It wasn't fair! "Its not fair. Its not fair. Its . . . not . . . FAIR!"

She tucked herself into a ball next to a fountain and cried.

Yui kept searching, 'She's a fourteen year old girl, she cant possibly have gone far.' Of course this fourteen year old girl was responsible for more property damage, rampant destruction, and accidental loss of life, then the entire Al Quada terrorist cell had managed in the last eight years.

'On the other hand . . .' Yui trailed off.

The problem was, she didn't even know where to start looking. Shinji . . . Shinji she knew better then he knew himself, a side affect of synching with her son, mind, body, and soul, literally. Asuka however was a new one. And one of the first people she seriously had needed to interact with without some foreknowledge of their driving motives since she had emerged from Unit 01.

Ten years with no social interaction hadn't quite been enough to drive Yui nuts, she still had visual stimulus even if it was the EVA cage day in and day out. It did however leave her quite lacking when it came to her sense of empathy towards most people. Not that she wanted it that way, it was simply a lack of practice.

Her legs got sore quickly and she was forced to slow her pace considerably. Her arms still ached from the slowly healing divots of flesh she had torn out along with the nerve links and feeder tubes. It didn't help that her body, though kept in minimal operating condition by it's submersion in LCL, was still at least partially atrophied. Leaving her with little muscle tone. Even kicking Gendo in the groin had taken all the energy she could muster.

'Well he did deserve it.' She remembered HER Gendo, the acentric somewhat apathetic man she had married. She had been one of the few people he had ever given a damn about. And this realization had made him adorably clumsy when they had first become friends. 'Maybe we can reach a reconciliation Gendo, but its going to take a long, long time.'

Shinji glanced nervously to Rei. She was staring intently at the TV, not really watching the romance that it had been switched to. She wasn't particularly easy to bore. But she didn't seem interested either.

He shuddered as he saw his mothers features in that face. 'Why didn't I see it before . . .' He had no photo's of his mother. Nothing but his memories, as much as his father may have thought those were far from sufficient. Still, he shook his head angrily. He could not, WOULD not. Think of Rei that way. She was not his mother, she wasn't even his sister if what his mother kept telling him was true.

But still . . .

"A- Ayanami?" He asked unsure.

She tilted her head towards him starring him in the eyes. Those red orbs, locked onto their blue opposites. "Yes Ikari?"

"Woul- would you . . . Would you, tell me about yourself?"

She cocked her head slightly, confusion in her eyes and face.

"You have already been informed to my nature." 'Does he seek to confront me like Major Katsuragi did?'

"I just . . . just want to hear it from you. Unless, unless I hear it from you I'm afraid I'll always feel like you were . . . lying to me. Like you are a lie."

Rei stared at him for several moments more. 'Am I a lie? What am . . . I am Ayanami Rei, and who I am is all he wishes to know.'

He thought she was just going to clam up, or tell him he wasn't authorised, or some other suitably detached line.

"I will tell you." She said simply.

"I am Ayanami Rei, I was created for the purpose of defeating the angels." She could not tell him the full truth, he really wasn't authorised to know anything about her intended final use.

"My creation was achieved through the use of genetic material removed from the 2nd Angel. Found crucified some time ago, by NERV, then Gehrim scientists. It was then spliced into a human Genome. As I am considered both important to most of the primary and tertiary scenario's and am also needed as a combatant it was decided that I be made disposable."

"Disposable?", Shinji asked, he knew what she meant, her clones. But still the way she talked about it . . .

"My clones in Terminal Dogma can be loaded with my latest harmonics data. Along with the addition of my soul which is salvaged after each death from Lilith. I am essentially pseudo immortal."

He shuddered as she continued. How could his father have defiled something so beautiful. Did he really think Rei was beautiful? How could he find beauty in the singular being which terrified him beyond anything else in life?

"Why . . . why did my father use mother's DNA?" Shinji asked, confused and angry. His anger and fear was now shifting ever so slightly to his father. The man he was beginning to not hate or fear, but despise with all his heart and soul.

"I do not know.' It was an honest response, she understood why Liliths genome had provided part of her genetics, to allow her to act as a vessel for Adams merging with Lilith. But the use of Yui Ikari's DNA did in fact leave her at a loss. The one thing she was certain of, the Commander never did anything without reason.

"I may venture a guess." She said.

Shinji nodded at her to go on.

"I believe your father saw me as a surrogate for both you and your mother." She said quietly "I did not live up to his expectations. I do not know why, but the Commander never has accepted me as more than a poor replacement for you." She whispered the words, they sounded bitter, angry, sad.

'No, Rei never shows emotions. Why would she now?' Shinj thought, his mind caught though on what she had said. 'The Commander never accepted me as more that a poor replacement for you.'

"What, what do you mean a replacement?" He asked, he didn't get it. How could his father have seen Ayanami as a replacement. He didn't even treat her as a daughter. He had seen where Rei lived, a poor run down apartment on the edge of town . . .

Memories pored back of the day he had moved in with Misato. He would have been living in the same area. His father saw even his own child as a tool.

Rei continued. "Ever since you have arrived he called you Shinji on the days you have defeated an Angel. He seems . . . not just satisfied that you have done you duty as he would with me. He seems . . . proud." She finished. The words twisted in her guts. Rei had slowly come to realize that even though he showed her affection the commander held only the slightest fondness towards her.

'It is because I can be replaced, and so can be used to achieve more dangerous objectives with little strategic risk.' She had reasoned. But as it went on, day after day each battle the Commander seeing his son grudgingly a little more worthy. The Commander had only once shown Shinji any kind of affection to his face. And when he had Rei had felt sick. As if the one thing special to her had been ripped away.

It hurt all the more that Rei could understand that those words, though calculated to have an affect, were genuine.

Shinji starred as a tear trickled down Rei's cheek. She caught the droplet in one small hand and studied it intently. Light hit it at just the right angle to make the salty drop glow.

"Rei", he whispered sadly. Unconsciously he moved closer to her.

As if she wished to repel him she spoke again, head lowered. "I have died before now Shinji, I am the second." She spoke slowly.

"The second?"

"The second Rei Ayanami. I died once before when I was a child. I have died and been reborn and the Commander has shown no joy for my rebirth. I have fought efficiently, and the Commander has never been proud of me. The Commander no longer needs me as a reminder of you or your mother, and I am no longer needed to achieve the commanders final objective."

'Final objective, what?' Shinji thought in confusion. Answers were not in his opinion supposed to bring on so many new questions.

"I am forced to conclude that my life holds no further value." Her eyes widened in shock. Had she really said that?

Her entire frame trembled as the realization that she had been suppressing those thoughts hit her hard. She had fought for the Commander, died for the Commander, and would die again for the Commander. But he had not loved her. Cared about her well being, yes. But no more than a good Commander cares for the well being of a subordinate.

What had she expected? Had she expected him to love her like a daughter? To want her in the place of his son? The trembling grew more violent as she answered those questions.

Yes she had expected him to love her. Yes she had expected . . . she had wanted to take Shinji's place once she learned of the Commander's slightest pride in his son.

The trembling grew violently. It was too much for her mind to accept she shook uncontrollably, a massive violent release of emotion as everything she had suppressed came out so unexpectedly she had no time to brace against it.

Her mind wanted to escape from these revelations, escape by any means necessary. Rei was a fairly stable entity, but her world was literally being shaken apart at its foundations. She wanted to die, but she couldn't, killing herself would only lead to her reawakening in the room of gaff in another body. Forced to live once again with her mind suppressing all of this. She couldn't allow herself to live like that, she no longer wished to be a doll.

Her AT field. She could control it with far more dexterity than any human being. Normally it would be impossible for her to do this, but she was panicking and acted almost on instinct. She pushed violently at that which held her very soul together. If she could destroy her AT field now, with no others to merge with, her soul would not be able to sustain itself. She could erase herself totally and completely from existence.

The world grew blurry around her. She felt a sense of vertigo. 'Almost, almost.' The field was weakening, part of her was overjoyed. If there was no purpose in her life, then she would gladly accept death. Blackness claimed her.

"AYANAMI!" Shinji shouted, all he had seen of this torrent was Rei shaking, and then collapsing to the floor unconscious. Her eyes wept LCL as she lay there, sweat beading up on her face suddenly. Her eyes open but not seeing.

Terrified he ran for the phone. He didn't know who exactly to call so he dialed a number he thought he would never need to use. It was a direct link to Section Two's dispatch office. The voice on the line was neutral and feminine.

"This is the Dispatch Office, what is your situation?"

"Its, pilot Ayanami, she's at Major Katsuragi's apartment, she just passed out!" He shouted panicked.

Their was a pause. "Roger, a medical team is being dispatched. Section Two agenst will be their within five minutes, please unlock the front door, and assess Pilot Ayanami's status."

"O-okay". Shinji quickly rushed to do what he was told, he disengaged both locks and then rushed back to Rei, forgetting entirely his discomfort about being near her.

She looked sickly and pale as he sat next to her. But he could feel her breath, and see her chest rising and falling steadily. He touched her arm, and shuddered. For an instant it had felt soft and bruised, like rotting fruit, before solidifying into a firm human limb again.

"Ayanami, Ayanami!" He shouted panicked. There was nothing more he could do. He tugged he close, crying and stroking her hair. What had happened. She'd been fine, and then she had just started to spasm and then this . . .

He was still holding her tight when the Section Two agents arrived two minutes later. The medics were only barely able to get him to release her, and only then at the agreement that he could stay with her all the way to the NERV infirmary. The entire way he just held her hand sobbing. One of the medics heard him spouting gibberish. 'Poor kid, hope she'll pull through for his sake.'

Shinji just kept whispering to himself, chanting as if it were a prayer."Please Rei, Im sorry, Im sorry. Your fine just the way you are, Im sorry I was scared. Just please . . . don't go."


	5. Don't Cry over me

Again I own nothing, I know nothing, etc.

I was actually surprissed I get so many hits on this story. If you guys all have time to read it, why dont you read Neo Cooly and give me some reviews you ungrateful bastards! Sorry. Anyways hope this is what your looking for. I don't know I just write it. And thankyou all for giving reviews other then, 'Keep Writing'.

Chapter Five: Don't Cry Over Me

Yui found Asuka in a park not too far from Misato's apartment. She absently noted the pair of Section Two agents that had been following her since she had started out. 'They aren't very . . . skilled are they.' Probably newbie field agents. She imagined several more were probably keeping themselves better hidden. It occurred to her that she could have requested Section Two keep an eye on Asuka, but this was something she needed to do herself.

"Asuka", she asked softly as she approached the girl.

Blue eyes ringed with red looked up hatefully at her, it was apparent she had been crying for quite some time.

"I'm sorry Asuka, I was being an idiot." Yui said sadly.

Asuka turned he head away, trying to ignore the other girl.

Yui shrugged and sat down next to her. Asuka immediately moved away trying to distance her self. Yui just scooted over closer. She grabbed Asuka's hand, holding it tight despite strong protests from its owner both physically and verbally.

Yui rubbed again at the bruise forming bellow he left eye. "You know, you swing quite hard. I'm sure Kyouko would have been very proud of you."

That had the opposite affect to what Yui had expected. She'd hoped the girl would acceptthe words as acomplement. Instead she swung a hook at Yui. Yui on her part though surprised had already decided this was a possibility in Asuka's agitated state. She ducked the blow, leaving Asuka's hand to slam into the side of the fountain they sat against, scraping skin from the knuckles.

The girl cursed angrily as she drew back for another swing. It didn't land. A Section Two agent held Asuka's hand tight in a palm that would have consumed the entirety of Yui's head. Several more of NERV's MIBs stood about in a loose semi circle. These were the good ones, not just the rookies she'd caught site of.

"Pilot Soryu, we are here to detain you for violent actions against Ms. Ayanami." The man announced. Nodding his head slightly to the girl he had been told was Rei's sister. "Please come with us."

Asuka struggled furiously. Tears filling her eyes as the man lifted her up one handed. "Damn you, damn you wonderbitch", she screamed.

"I'm not her Asuka. Please don't be so rude, to me, or Rei." She replied simply. She turned to the Section Two agent. "Would you please let her go." The man blinked in surprise, the tone of that simple request had carried the weight of an order. "Sorry, no can do Ma'am. Orders from the Commander, we're to kill or detain anyone who attempts to harm you . . ." He eyed the bruise on her cheek, and the still fading palm print. "It appears we may have been a bit late. I apologize Ma'am."

Yui sighed. "Ok, how about you guys just stay here. After all that way you can keep an eye on me and her. If she does anything else then we'll see about detaining her, ok?"

"Ma'am I really don't think . . ." The Section Two agent began.

"Pweeeeeaaaassseeee" Yui said in her cutest imitation of a four year old, and did something she had never thought she was capable of. Pouting out her lips and widening her eyes while maintaining total seriousness in the endeavor.

The Section Two agent was one of the better members of NERV's security organization, he had been in the US Delta Force, before being kicked out with the military Downscaling taking place after Second Impact. But even his heart melted at that sight. "We'll stay in sight, he said. If she does anything . . ." He nodded to Asuka, still struggling like a fish out of water as she was dangled by one arm. "Then we'll detain her until further notice."

Yui shrugged. "That's the best I could have hoped for. Thank you."

The Agents backed off a respectable distance, leaving Asuka to slide down to the ground fuming angrily. "You're not going to let me leave until I hear you out, is that it?"

Yui shrugged again. "I would prefer if you did, but you're not obligated to listen."

"Fine, lets get this over with." Asuka sound resigned, as if Yui was going to torture her.

She frowned. Closing her eyes, she delved into the fragmented memories she had attained from Rei. These had proven useful to her in the past. Showing the girl really did have things she liked, disliked, loved, feared. Even if they were all faint emotions at best.

They had come in handy getting around the GeoFront too. Without those memories she would never have been able to find her way out of the entry plug. Much less managed to find and reach the showers before somebody noticed a naked fourteen year old covered in LCL running around.

Now she dove into parts of the memories relating to the pilots most importantly. 'Asuka Langley Soryu'. It took her only a few seconds of thought. She understood. 'What have I done . . .'

"Asuka, your mother . . . must have been very sick at the end." Yui whispered sadly. "She was always so proud of you, and always loved you. For her to become like that . . ."

"Don't say it." Asuka interrupted. Her sight was blurring. "Don't say it, just don't say it!"

Yui softly caressed the girls cheek. Asuka swatted it aside. Several of the Section Two agents fidgeted as if just daring the fiery girl to actually strike Yui so they could get this over with.

"Asuka, you should not have had to endure that. And I'm sorry for bringing so much pain to you . . . I would like to try and do some good." Yui finished.

Asuka just looked at her through tear streaked eyes. "I hate you", she whispered.

"Why?" Yui asked.

"Because . . . you hurt me. You acted like you know something about me, but you don't!" She shouted.

"You're right Asuka, I don't know anything about you. But I would like to try." It was the best Yui could do. This girl needed a person to actual care about her. She acted normal on the outside, but she violently pushed away what she really needed. Fearing it because of what it had led to in her childhood.

Watching your mother hanging from a rope was not an experience any child should have been forced to go through.

Asuka didn't respond. Yui slowly began to speak again. This time not talking to Asuka, but recalling memories of time she had spent with Kyouko Zepelin Soryu. At some point, she wasn't sure when, Asuka started to listen to the stories. The time they had gotten drunk together and ended up being driven home by professor Fuyutsuki, made her life. When she had been born, her mother had shown her to everyone, cradling her close. She'd been terrified of letting anyone touch her little one, that made her feel warm, knowing her mother had cared.

More and more stories of a person Asuka had only known as her mama. She wanted to weep as it struck her how much she had lost. How wonderful her mother must have been before she had lost her mind.

She cried now, not out of pain, but out of genuine grief for what she had lost. She wasn't sure how long she cried, but when she finished she noticed a small hand draped over her shoulder. "You can't keep hating people for trying to help you." Yui said. There was a gentleness a compassion nobody had ever shown her in that voice. "You can't keep letting those memories drive you."

"Yeah", Asuka finally said. "Maybe you're right . . ."

One of the Section Two agents was on his cell phone. He paused for a moment listening. He jogged over to Yui and Asuka.

"Ma'am you'll need to come with us."

Yui looked at him irritably. "Look, its fine that she hit me, I deserved it. If you think . . ."

"It's not that Ma'am." The Section Two agent replied. "I was just informed that Pilot Ayanami was hospitalized ten minutes ago."

"What?" Yui asked startled. Even Asuka was surprised by the man's next words.

"Doctor Akagi was their to examine her on her arrival. She believes that Pilot Ayanami attempted to commit suicide."

Gendo Ikari stood quietly at the center of his office examining the tiny creature in the palm of his hand. 'You . . .' He thought. Rage filling him. 'You took my wife away from me.' His grip tightened slightly. The fetus like creature squirmed slightly. 'You drove me to all of this and gave me false hopes' the grip tightened even further. "Death leads to nothing." He spoke quietly. And closed his hand completely. A fine dribble of LCL seeped through the fingers of his good hand. The other hung bandaged at his side.

When he opened his palm their was nothing but some scraps of quickly disintegrating flesh left. The tiny pea sized mass of Adams S2 organ sat at the center of it. He dropped it to the floor and ground the tiny gem beneath his heal.

It was done. Adam was dead.

Gendo walked back to his desk and sat down shakily. He removed the stained glove, not bothering to look at his scared hand, he replaced it with another and went back to work. Thinking nothing more of what he had done. Still a slight satisfaction permeated his being as he began to read the newly created file on Yui Ayanami.

Birth date was identical to Rei's, no surprise, they were after all identical twins. He'd taken the liberty of placing Yui's delivery time an hour earlier. Flaws like that, having the exact same time of delivery on the birth certificate for twins were some of the obvious mistakes Gendo always looked for in forgeries.

Hair color: Blue

Eye Color: Red

Weight: 85lbs/

Height: 4'11"/

Place of Residence: Tokyo-3, Japan.

Former places of Residence: Kyoto-2, Tokyo-2.

Parents: Maya Ayanami- Deceased

Kiyoshi Ayanami- Deceased

Both of these people actually had lived, Maya Ayanami had been a mathematician working on the S2 project at the time of the 1st Angels attack. She had been eight months pregnant at the time, but had insisted on continuing her work on the mathematics behind the super solenoid theory along with the rest of the researchers.

She had died along with her husband and Major Katsuragi's father during Second Impact. It hadn't taken much paperwork shuffling to have Rei's parents apparently live until a short time after Second Impact before dying in a car accident. Only a few changes in their stations at the time of second impact and a few months worth of paperwork to make it look like they were still living in their apartment.

It helped that Maya Ayanami had a fair bur not perfect resemblance to Yui, which made passing Rei off as their daughter much easier if the need had ever arisen.

He continued through the datum.

Current School Enrollment: Tokyo-3 Junior Highschool.

Place of Residence: Tokyo-3, Western District, Apartment 2708B. Major Katsuragi made just as good a place to put Yui as any other. The apartment was in a good district and half of the Section Two agents lived in accommodations within three blocks.

More information followed, completing the allusion that Rei and Yui were twins. It had been a little difficult to modify the paper trail for two human beings, and their were still discrepancies but it was as flawless as the combined might of Section Two's special intelligence division, the MAGI, and Commander Gendo Ikari could make it.

Good enough to fool virtually any Government Agency, you would have to go through a mountain of data to find a flaw.

He signed the document confirming his Guardianship of Yui Ayanami, and then placed it at the edge of the desk. Already out of mind.

He was about to begin in on the next document when his phone rang. He gritted his teeth in agitation as he read the number. Whatever Section Two wanted it had to be bad to call him directly.

He opened the phone and placed to his ear "Gendo." He listened.

His jaw clenched. He dropped the phone to the floor in discussed. He set a quick pace as he headed for the NERV infirmary. 'What have you done Rei?'

Rei noted feeling returning as she struggled up towards the light. Confusion 'Why am I still here.' Sorrow 'I should not be here . . . I should not be'. Confusion again 'Then why am I still here'. Shame 'I was too weak, proof of my own uselessness. This is why the commander can feel proud of his son and not me.'

Her eyes snapped open. She was in the NERV infirmary, sunlight filtering through the windows. The steady reassuring beep of an EKG continued in the background, assuring her that she was in fact alive. 'But that is not what I wish!' She tried to reach for her AT field again, tried to weaken it beneath its minimum sustainable threshold, but she could not. What was keeping her, why did she no longer have the conviction to die?

Her conscious mind finally noticed the wetness against her right arm. She studied it, a brown mop of hair, moving little, but still definitely alive. She knew this head, she knew the face that belonged to it. She felt something within herself forcing its way up coming from her chest and then slowly constricting her throat, before causing her sines' and eyes to burn.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, normal tears, not LCL. Her left hand then seemed to move of its own volition. She just watched as it finally came down on that head, and stroked the hair. The body attached to the head stiffened and then it shot up, blue eyes stared at her.

"Rei?" Shinji asked tears welling up on his own face. She just nodded slightly, her own voice refused to come.

The next thing she knew she felt surrounded by warmth as Shinji hugged her and kept crying. "Doctor Akagi . . . s-said you tried to kill youself." Shinji whispered as he held her tight. "You didn't did you. Why, wh-why would you do something like that."

Rei blinked a few times, her voice finally came to her. "My life holds no value." She whispered hoarsely, "I am not worth your tears. Please, do not cry over me Ikari." Rei said.

He pushed away. The anger in Shinji's eyes froze her heart. "Rei . . . Don't do anything like that ever again!"

She just stared at him confused. Why would Shinji care, she was not his concern. She didn't get any more time to think about it before her lungs were compressed tightly within her chest. She looked down, Shinji was tightening his grip, refusing to let go of her. The stinging in her eyes built and her vision blurred. It irritated her to no end, she wanted to see Shinji but she couldn't with her eyes like this. She rubbed at them angrily and tried to speak.

All that came out was a gurgled cough as her throat tightened painfully again. She was forced to suck down air in hiccups as she tried to speak. She couldn't get anything but her coughing attempts at speech out. She finally let herself lean into the embrace, giving into defeat at her failed attempts to communicate.

It dawned upon her that he was afraid that she had died. It wasn't just concern for another person he had never known, it was fear of losing something special. It was beyond Rei's entire experience set, she had never really been cared for and so did not know how to react. It struck with an almost tangible force. Yet this time she almost exulted in it, the proof that somebody cared.

'Shinji is not Commander Ikari, but if the Commander does not care for me, then I will not care for him. I will care for Shinji who cares for me. He will be my Commander.' Rei thought dizzily, she wasn't certain how she had come to such thoughts and she felt that the word she used to describe Shinji was a little off, but if was the strongest identification for a person she knew. The strongest sense of importance she could impart upon Shinji.

These thoughts too were washed away as the hospital room door was slammed open. A panting doppleganger of Rei stood in the doorway, looking red faced and terrified. Asuka was close behind Yui as she stormed in. Grabbed hold of Rei and looked her over nervously.

'Thank god', Yui thought, Rei seemed fine.

As if voicing her words Rei finally spoke. "Do not be troubled Mrs. Ikari, I am well." She had to force each word out with no minor strain to her vocal cords through her nearly closed throat. The tightness was receding now though and she found she could speak more clearly as she continued.

"I am confident that any remaining injuries will not be fatal."

Mentally emphasizing this to herself, she pushed her own small S2 organ up to the maximum output that she could risk without raising an AT field that would trigger every sensor in the area. The healing process would be accelerated exponentially by the tiny organ.

It wasn't something that she mentioned to her companions. She feared that if Shinji was reminded of what she was he would clam back up and fear her again. If he was going to do that then she wanted to feel this for as long as she could. This sense of contentment.

"Naoka's girl says you tried to commit suicide?" Yui asked surprised.

Rei starred down at her hands. "That is true."

"How?" Yui was curious, how had Rei expected to end her own life when she could be born again as many times as was needed.

"My AT field . . ." She said softly. " . . . I have much greater control over it then a normal person, though not nearly as much as the Angels. I intended to dissipate my field and destroy myself."

The entire room was chill. Yui's faced looked paler than normal, which seeing who she was now related to, should have been impossible.

Shinji just tightened his hug even more, burying his face in Rei's lap.

Asuka stood for a few moments in the doorway. A twitch slowly developed beneath her right eye. Her face grew red. "Wondergirl, YOU BAKA!" She screamed, charging forwards she yanked Shinji away forcefully and shook Rei as violently as she could. A Section Two agent came rushing through the door, and received Asuka's elbow to the nose for his troubles.

She pulled Rei close by the collar of her hospital gown. Not a hard task with someone so small. "Wondergirl, damn you. You were idiotic enough to try and kill yourself, WHY, WHY would you do that?"

Rei looked to Shinji, and then lowered her eyes. "I believed there was no further reason for my existence. So I decided to end it."

The silence this time was broken by Asuka's strained breathing. The Section Two agent slowly lifting himself from the floor was suddenly back on the ground again, his nose leaking blood everywhere. "How dare you be so stupid. Do you have any idea how much you would have hurt Baka Shinji and Yui!"

Rei was confused as the shacking stopped and she found Asuka looking her in the face, rage in her eyes. "You don't ever do that again." Asuka snarled. She wasn't going to let Rei decide it was okay to die. She wasn't going to let her leave Shinji like her mother had left her. Even if she had been insane, and even if Asuka's hatred towards her was slipping away even as she spoke she would not forgive someone for leaving their loved ones by taking the easy way out.

"You don't, ever, ever, do that again."

Rei nodded slightly. "I will not."

Asuka slumped down by the side of the bed, having now vented her anger.

The Section Two agent was finally getting to his feet again, his nose steel bleeding. He looked accusingly as Asuka, and then caught glance of Yui. The girl was starring him down with those crimson eyes. He knew better than to question her authority. It was obvious that the Commander found her important enough to put a virtual wall of bodies into protecting her. He backed off quietly, closing the door behind him. The agent held his nose tenderly, good thing he was in a hospital.

Inside the hospital room, Rei just looked about her as everyone spoke, they were all concerned over her. Not as a pilot, or the first child, or even the key to instrumentality as SEELE thought of her. But as Rei, nothing more and nothing less.

Shinji was a little worried when she drifted back to sleep, but the EKG kept reading steadily so he had to assume she was just tired. He would have been too if he had just been hit by every positive and negative emotion in the book in a period of only four hours.

"So, what's going to happen to Rei now . . ." Shinji asked nervously.

Yui shrugged. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Shinji asked, how could you do nothing when somebody had just tried to commit suicide!

"What would you want us to do? If she's really hard set on suicide this proves she could probably carry through with it. Even if we put her in a straight jacket." Yui replied. "Unless you want to leave her sedated and tied up for the rest of her life we'll just have to keep her from wanting to die. Though I'm at a loss for why she would want to. . ." Yui stopped, she wasn't at a complete loss as to why her . . . little sister would do something like this.

The Commander's opinion meant the world to Rei, and she seemed very unsure on how to act now that the Commander no longer had a use for her beyond EVA. 'Gendo we're going to have a talk about this . . .' His apathy had always been his biggest problem, even if when he had meant well he'd never been very good at showing his affection. He'd tried being a good father before the accident but he ended up causing Shinji to cry more often than not as a child.

Shinji nodded sadly, he had pulled a chair up, and was sitting next to Rei just starring at sleeping peacefully.

"They say we can take her home in the morning, Doctor Akagi wants to keep her overnight to be certain they didn't miss anything." Shinji said thoughtfully. "I would, like to um, stay here tonight, if nobody would mind."

Yui took his hand. "I don't think anyone will mind Shinji, I'd like to stay too." Shinji smiled, support from another was welcome at a time like this.

"That's fine."

Asuka moaned as she saw the scene unfold. "Oh, please, stop being so lovey dovey, your supposed to be his mother not his girlfriend, leave that to wondergirl." There was a lot of uncomfortable shifting following those words. 'I really managed to sit in it.' Asuka thought darkly.

Shinji looked nervously at Rei. "Ar-are you sure its ok, I mean, me and. . ."

Yui tightened her grip. "It's fine Shinji, she's not related to you. She's not related to anyone," Yui said, eyes tearing as she thought aloud. "She's totally alone Shinji, she has no real family, that may be, why she did this."

Shinji's eyes started to tear, "I'm sorry."

"For what?", Yui asked.

"For well . . . for thinking of her that way." He lowered his head in shame. "You told me not to think of her like that, like she was my sister or a monster, and here I've been. Afraid of her. And then she did this . . ."

Yui shook her head. "I can't accept your apology Shinji."

"Wha-!" That was something nobody had ever told him, not like that. Asuka had chewed him out for apologizing, and Misato had told him their was no need. But here somebody was refusing it outright.

"Because your apologizing over something you couldn't help at the time. Maybe now you can. You can try to work at it and if you still fail then you can apologize, but not to me." She said.

For Shinji those words were amazingly cryptic, but they sounded sincere and important. He'd have to think on that.

The three of them ended up staying late into the night, sleeping in chairs and trying to keep watch on Rei. Shinji was afraid that if she was left alone she would try to kill herself again. Even this fear though was not enough to keep him awake forever, and now he slept fitfully in a chair by Rei's bedside, her hand had fallen onto his sometime during the night and he unconsciously turned his own palm up to feel the warmth.

Yui snapped awake as the hospital door slowly opened.

Gendo did his best to be quiet, but Yui had always been a light sleeper, and Rei's hearing was acutely sensitive. He didn't seem to notice her observing him through narrowly opened eyes as he stepped up to Rei's bed.

He shook her, roughly but quietly.

"Commande-"

Gendo's gloved hand came up pressing two fingers against his lips.

Rei went silent as Gendo spoke, apparently hoping to avoid waking any of the rooms other occupants. Yui just observed.

"Why did you do that Rei?" He asked, the dead calmness in his voice seemed to betray the turmoil within him. Rei thought for several seconds and then lowered her head ashamed.

"I believed I was . . . unloved." She replied.

"Explain."

"I-I, feel like I was empty and like all the value in my life had been stripped away. Like-like I had no purpose to my existence . . ." Rei's brow furrowed, her mind was working furiously to try and explain things beyond its comprehension. To a degree Rei's psyche could not be classified as human, part of her analytical nature was genetically ingrained, and it was made a bigger handicap by her complete inexperience with emotions.

"I felt, like dying would end the emptiness."

The Commanders gloved hand gripped Rei by the throat and lifted her clear of the hospital bed with startling silence. There was little strain on the Commander, Rei had been made mentally and physically submissive just for such situations as this. "Do not attempt this again Rei, do not attempt to kill yourself. I still have a use for you. The Scenario may be of no more use to my final plans, but it will still serve to defeat the last of the Angels with some modifications. You will live until you die, and if you desire it so much then you can pass away once and for all."

Rei gripped at the hand feebly, she was still feeling weak after her attempt at suicide and much of her muscle tissue was still quite tender making her sore everywhere. "I understand", Rei whispered. She did too well, if the Commander intended to use the original scenario to kill the last of the Angels then Pilot Soryu would still likely be rendered combat ineffective by the 15th and herself by the 16th. If she did not fight the 16th then Shinji would likely be deployed and suffer her fate instead.

It was better that she did it. She could be replaced, and knowing Shinji was safe would make her happy, even if afterwards she would no longer be able to understand what happiness was.

The Commander dropped her just as silently back into the hospital bed. Yui had not moved the entire time. 'Gendo . . . no, don't do this'. Her eyes teared up, she knew Gendo well enough. He was trying to use the scrolls to his advantage. He would stack the deck in his favor now that there was no reason to fulfill a prophecy.

And why? Because he knew this way Yui would be safe, if he did not significantly alter the prophecy then he could predict where Yui could be kept safely and their would be no risk to her. Even if she ended up hating him she would be safe.

Yui continued to listen, eyes closed, as Gendo headed back out the door. He felt him pause next to her, bend down, and softly kiss her forehead. His gloved hand running softly through her hair. He stepped out into the hallway.

"Oh, ah, Commander, is Rei awake?" A familiar voice. Misato . . .

'Misato is the operations director, if anyone can help me with this she can. . .' Yui thought, she still couldn't bring herself to hate Gendo. She would if he carried through with this, but she couldn't accept just yet that he had lost what little humanity he had once held.

"No, the Children and Yui are currently sleeping." There was a rustling of papers.

"What's this?" Misato asked,

"The paperwork for transferring Rei's guardianship. I'm making her your responsibility Major." The Commander replied, "It is obvious that she can no longer be trusted to take care of herself." Yui heard his foot steps once again, growing distant before vanishing entirely.

Misato stepped in, and Yui aloud her eyes to open fully. The Major she could tell was a woman with few ulterior motives. Her company was comforting in an innocent way.

"Oh, your awake Yui." Misato said loudly. Yui placed her fingers on her lips angrily.

"Oh-oh, sorry", Misato replied much more quietly now. She looked over at Rei who was already apparently asleep once more. "How is she doing?" She asked quietly.

"She's well, just tired." Yui replied.

"That's good." Misato decided, "I'll be taking her home to live with me tomorrow, Commanders orders." She told her.

"I heard." Misato blinked.

"I have very good hearing." Yui said by way of explanation.

"Ahhh, well then. I need to be going. I just came to check up on her." Misato whispered. She looked worriedly at Shinji.

"Don't worry, everything is fine for the moments." Yui assured her. The Major nodded before stepping out into the hallway.

Yui looked back to Rei, before whispering. "Did you hear all of that."

Several seconds passed. "Yes." Then another pause. "Why did you not inform the Major that I was feigning unconsciousness?"

"Because, I don't feel like I have the right to intrude on your own actions."

"Even suicide?" Rei asked.

"Even suicide", Yui replied, "Though I would prefer you didn't."

There was another pause. "You do not need to worry about that. I have a purpose to drive me once more."

"Shinji?"

". . ."

Yui smiled. "You don't need to tell me."

"Thank you, but yes, Shinji."

Yui smiled, it was good to know the girl cared. 'If I can, I'm going to make certain you can still care for him when this is all over.' Yui promised herself.

Rei just lay in bed. Thinking of what the future would hold for her. It was . . . to say the least . . . bleak.


	6. Preludes

Again I own nothing, well I own quite a few things but nothing relating to EVA. Otherwise the series would have split off into a second season that fans would be howling for my blood over.

Chapter Six: Preludes

Yui scratched irritably at the spot between her spine and shoulder blade. The one thing she didn't miss was having to get at that little itch, where you had to twist your arm halfway round just to get at it, and then could barely rub it in hopes of relieving some of that ITCHING. She gave up on it and looked over the schematics on the screen. Doctor Akagi was with her, her nose tapped over.

It still hurt like hell.

Yui had dragged her out of her apartment late Monday afternoon, Shinji, and Asuka had been sent back to school, and Rei was under close observation while she carried out a series of harmonics tests. The data in the tests was being thoroughly screened at the Commanders orders, he did not want whatever suicidal tendency had afflicted Rei to be transmitted to the dummies.

Though he had gone onto an interesting train of thought with that. She suspected Gendo was planning something rather evil for one of his enemies.

"So, this is the system you rigged up for Unit-00, seems a bit . . . grotesque." Yui remarked as she looked at the design. Internal feedback through a series of nerve shunts wired directly into the dummies brain providing an even greater number of I/O lines compared to the standard dummy system.

"Well, it was designed back when the system was in its primitive stages. Think of it as a proof of concept taken to the next level."

"So this is how you've managed to get Naoka's soul to co-operate."

Ritsuko stiffened. "How did you know about that!"

Yui shrugged. "Your mother always was good at putting backdoors in her system. I used one and brought up some rather interesting files. You'd be surprised, Gendo didn't really intend for Naoka to suicide." Yui paused, and dropped her head on the consol. 'I did it again', she was still getting the hang of empathy. She had to pay attention and think before she spoke. It was easy with Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, she had experience with them as people. Ritsuko had so far just been Naoka's girl. "I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." Yui said, her voice muffled from her head still laying on the console.

"No need for that," Ritsuko shifted uncomfortably. "As for the system, yes it is a bit gruesome but it works and that's what matters."

"True." Yui looked up studying the elaborate tracery of circuit connections.

The control system for Naoka's soul was truly something else. When it had been discovered that Naoka Akagi resided inside the core of Unit-00 Gendo had been a little paranoid. The prophecies had been fairly vague to the First Child's mother and protector. He'd needed someway to control Naoka, who he imagined was rather pissed with him for his manipulations.

Unit-00's core was specially quarantined, Naoka was kept dormant through energy deprivation to key sections of the core. These sections also unfortunately, were responsible for the EVA's motor control and AT field, which were far too complex for any traditional onboard computer to handle.

So Ritsuko had come up with an ingenious system to allow the operation of Unit-00. Rei synchronized with herself. It had taken some time to work out. Fortunately the original Rei had died of asphyxiation and had been put on ice soon afterwards. Revival had taken some time but they'd managed to get everything beating again. Rei's soul had already been transferred to the next body and the brain was badly damaged. Still Rei I had held a soul and so had all of the residual characteristics needed to be used to control the AT field, motor control could simply be shunted through what was left of the original Rei's brain.

"So you think it will work for what we're planning?"

"No clue." Ritsuko replied as she sipped at a cup of coffee. Another thing Yui tried to avoid now, it didn't have any ill affects, but it did make her a bit hyper and she didn't really need it anyway. Not with an S2 core residing in her abdomen.

"It should work assuming that you can keep your focus, though we've never tried it with an EVA in the condition Unit 01 is in. What if you get reabsorbed?" Ritsuko asked, pointing out the biggest risk right off.

"I doubt it, don't forget I have quite a bit more control over my ego border now. So I should be able to synch with the EVA's core for this . . ." Yui trailed off, it would not be pleasant, being back in 'there', again after such a short taste of freedom. " . . . and still get out."

"I'd be more worried about what will happen if Commander Ikari finds out." Ritsuko added. 'Damn it, why am I helping her?' This was far to out of character in Ritsuko's opinion. The more she thought about it though, the more she realized Yui's presence had forced her to think about what she had done. For the last two days her mind had been running continuously trying to work out the reason for this guilt. She found the reasons, PLURAL, to be rather disturbing.

"He'll only find out if you tell him." Yui pointed out."And your in this with me so it probably wouldn't be smart to rat me out."

Ritsuko shook her head. "He knows my mother's codes for the MAGI system, he'll find out."

"Mmmmmhh", Yui grumbled to herself. "No, no he won't, there are backdoors that were set up by your mother. And I know quite a few of them. Probably more than Gendo. Naoka always was a smart one. She always had an ace up her sleeve for EVERY situation."

Ritsuko just blinked a few times. "How would you know about those codes?"

"How do you think we managed to go out drinking every night, even during lockdowns?" Yui replied.

"I see . . ."

Yui looked at her seriously, Ritsuko looked back from behind her glasses. Yui couldn't keep it up, her face cracked and she started laughing.

"What is it?"

"You just . . . you just . . . remind me . . . so much of your mother when you do _that_ look." Yui laughed like a maniac.

'Remember, your doing this to obtain absolution for your sins.' Ritsuko reminded herself as she ground her teeth.

Yui just kept laughing.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Class Dismissed." There was a sudden burst of activity as everyone got up to leave. Everyone but the Class representative, Shinji Ikari, and Asuka Langley Soryu. The rest of the class hightailed it for the door and freedom in short order.

Hikari looked over the other two students. Shinji and Asuka had been called to handle class clean up for the next day. And it gave Hikari a chance to ask them something that had been bugging her.

"I saw we're getting a new student tomorrow", she noted idly as they stood up, packing there own school books.

"Really", Asuka asked, mildly surprised but not all that interested. She classified this as Hikari just trying to make small talk and ignored it.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you guys knew about her. I didn't know Ayanami had a twin sister."

Both pilots froze and gave each other a look that could best be summed up as: 'Oh CRAP we're screwed!'

"Uhm, well yeah Rei doesn't have much family", Asuka replied lamely.

"Still a sister and she's never said anything about her." Hikari's voice was filled with disbelief.

"I don't think they've ever been that close, they've spent most of there lives apart." Asuka said, now trying to think of some way to shift the topic.

"Oh, ok then. Still hasn't Rei ever talked about her, certainly to you Shinji?"

"She told me she had a sister once but that's all." Shinji replied quickly, he wasn't a very good liar, but since he sounded nervous half the time anyway he hoped Hikari wouldn't notice.

"Ah, that's a shame." Hikari sighed as she headed out the door to get the cleaning supplies, leaving Asuka and Shinji to their own devices.

"How could she do something like this?" Asuka snarled angrily.

"I-it's probably just part of her cover, that's all." Shinji answered nervously. "I mean why would she want to come to school with us? She'll probably be absent more times than not." He finished quickly as Asuka balled her fist.

She lowered the offending limb and gave him a dark look.

He was compelled to speak. "I thought you liked Yui, Asuka why are you so angry about her going to school with us?"

"It just seems weird. Her butting into our lives like this, and she's only been around for a few days!"

Shinji frowned, his mother did seem over obsessed with becoming part of his life. Was she going through some sort of phase, or was this simply her acentric personality? 'Yeah, she's having a mid life crisis', Shinji thought dryly. For some reason that thought made him laugh. Asuka looked at him like he was some sort of madman.

Shinji tried to think of some sort of explanation and failed miserably. Their was only one possible thing to do, shift the conversation. "Hey, uh, did Hikari find out why Touji was absent today?"

Asuka snorted, "Why should I care where the stooge was, he's your friend." She looked back at the grimy windows of the classroom which she was supposed to clean. "Mein Gott can't you Japanese keep a room clean for just one day?"

Shinji sighed, as Asuka went off on a rant about the stupidity of writing and reading Kanji and the superiority of all that was German.

At least she hadn't stayed on the subject of his mother. 'Maybe it won't be so bad. I mean what's the worst that could happen with my mother here?'

Hickari came back in hauling an empty water bucket and the rest of the cleaning supplies. She handed the bucket off to Shinji and ordered him to go fill it because he was the boy. Never mind that Asuka was physically stronger then him.

He headed out the door with the bucket muttering to himself aloud, but silently thankful inside that he was getting away from Asuka.

After Shinji's footsteps faded Asuka began to speak. "So what happened to Touji today?" she asked absently.

Hikari Shrugged, "I don't know, he told me he was going to be absent last Friday and that's all I heard. Why the sudden interest?" Hikari asked suspicious. Asuka could guess why, though Hikari probably thought she was hiding it quite well, everyone in the class knew she liked Suzuhara. Everyone with the exception of the target of her affection, Touji himself.

"Shinji wanted to know, and I figured if anyone had the answer it would be you." Asuka said lamely.

"Oh, well sorry I don't know anything". Hikari paused. "Hey why did you ask on Shinji's behalf?" Her suspicion was back in full force. Asuka never did anything out of concern for Shinji.

"Well, can't I do something for the baka? He's too idiotic to ask anyone himself!" She huffed slightly as she put her back into the scrubbing the floor boards with a cleaning agent, she's have to wash it off again when Shinji came back with the water.The grime that could accumulate in just one day was phenomenal! 'Why do I have to get stuck with chores, this is stupid'. She thought in despair as she looked over the class room. She had so far barely gone over a fifth of the class, great.

"It's just not like you that's all." Hikari replied.

"So it's bad for me to do something nice?" Asuka asked."

"No not bad," Hikari reassured, "Just different. I mean usually you'd just say he was whining about 'one of the stooges not being there to boost his pitiful ego'", Hikari said in her best immitation of Asuka's voice.

Asuka winced at the bad attempt at a German accent.

"What happened that has you in such a good mood." Hikari asked as she put a pair of gloves on and started pulling gum off from beneath the tables. Making a mental list of which desks belonged to which students. They would all receive strongly worded complaints in the morning.

Asuka thought about it, Hikari would find out soon enough anyways so why not. "I met wondergirl's sister this weekend, she's just as strange as Rei but practically dead opposite."

"Really, how so?" Hikari asked as she pried at a particularly large, dry, piece of gum.

"Well, she's just so cheerful, it's creepy. You see Rei's face with that smile and it throws you off kind of."

"Yeah I guess, so do you get along with her well or something?"

Asuka's had to consider this for several long seconds as she worked on the floor. "Well, she was a little arrogant when I first met her, but she's seems nice underneath that."

'Like you', Hikari thought wearily, Asuka was her friend but she didn't know if she could handle two of her.

"So uh, is she an EVA pilot like you guys then?"

Asuka stuck with half truths. "She's registered as a pilot but I don't think she'll actually see any fighting she's backup in case one of us gets sick or is injured." At least Asuka guessed as much, Ritsuko was supposedly running tests to see if Yui could synch with unit-00 or 02. If she could, they would have four pilots and only two operational EVA's, not a good ratio. 'Though fat chance the commander will send her into a fight until he uses everyone else'. She thought darkly.

"You know you really ask a lot of questions." Asuka muttered.

"Well, it's the class representatives job to help the other students, and here you are already knowing a little bit about her so I can be better prepared." Hikari replied cheerfully as the gum finally broke off as a single piece in the palm of her hand. That had been the last piece she could see.

Almost on cue Shinji came in lugging the water bucket, it was obvious that he was having a hard time with it.

Unfortunately for Shinji Asuka immediately stood up to berate his snails pace leaving the floor slick, still slippery from the cleaning agent sprayed on it.

Shinji's foot slid, the bucket went flying and there was a lot of shouting all around as Asuka was soaked through by a bucket load of cold water. As anyone experienced in the tasteless idiocy of bad summer parties would know, this would have a rather interesting effect on the female anatomy.

Asuka was death incarnate as her entire face turned red. The damp blouse revealing more than it had any right to. Shinji watched in sickening slow motion as her arm pulled back. Time seemed to speed up as the hand came back around. "Shinji you BAKA PERVERT!" Then the world went white.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Rei sat in the back of Major Katsuragi's car as they headed back to the apartment. They had stopped long enough at Rei's old apartment to retrieve her medication and school clothes. Misato had just been happy to leave that place. She never would have imagined that Rei's home was such a miserable affair.

It filled her with the same determination she had felt for Shinji when he had first come to Tokyo-3. She would help Rei too, this wasn't just her duty, it was something she felt obligated to do after spending four years of never noticing the poor kid.

"Hey Rei, what would you like for dinner tonight?" Misato asked, trying to stir up some conversation as they drove, anything was better then this silence.

"I will eat whatever is convenient, as long as it does not contain any meat." Rei replied as she continued to stare out the back window.

'Gee there's a real conversation for ya.' Misato thought darkly as she set her eyes back on the road. How did anyone get through to that girl? It could be done, that was for sure or she would never have attempted suicide. On that note she would have to remind Shinji to keep a close watch on her.

"I . . . liked the ster fry." Rei said softly.

"Hmmm?" Misato perked up, any attempt at initiating a conversation would be good for Rei right now.

"I liked Shinji's cooking", she said again more firmly. "It tasted better then my normal meals." Rei elaborated, she was trying to think of something more to say. After half a minute of deep thought she finally gave up. She could not honestly think of anything else, conversation was a skill she was lacking in, not the least from her complete lack of interesting knowledge.

Misato seemed happy though that she had said anything at all. It was progress. Well, with Rei under her Guardian ship that meant she had to watch over all of the pilots. Commander Ikari had halved the paperwork going through her office to facilitate her increased responsibility. Seriously how much more trouble could two more girls be? Other than possibly giving Shinji a heart attack.

Misato almost laughed as they continued on, stopping at the store, she pulled Rei out to help her. The girl seemed mildly surprised as Misato grabbed her wrist, pulling her bodily from the back seat of the car, but Misato had know clue in hell how to shop for a vegetarian, at least Rei may have had more of an idea then her.

Then again, considering how Rei ate Misato somehow doubted the girl really had any idea on what constituted a good meal. She may have understood how to eat healthy, but as they continued through the store it became apparent she had rarely eaten well.

Most of the foods Rei picked out were the cheapest brands with the highest caloric yield per unit. Trying to get the most out of each meal, Misato Commented on this.

"How can you eat stuff like this Rei, it just doesn't seem right", Misato said looking at the pile of instant noodles laying in the cart.

Rei turned to face her. "I do not understand your question. The foods I have selected are sufficient for my survival, I will not starve", Rei said simply.

Misato frowned, how was she going to get through to this kid that she should try to be happy?

"Rei you said you liked Shinji's cooking, you can eat what you like. I know you must like something Rei." Misato urged the girl to at least pick something out.

Rei studied the tiled floor of the aisle. "Oranges".

Misato's curiosity piqued at the mumbled word. "What's that Rei?"

Rei's head came back up, she looked, Misato thought, unsure of herself.

"I like oranges", Rei repeated louder.

Misato gave her a cheery smile and pulled her along to the fresh produce aisle. Much to Rei's surprise, she would have to get used to the Major's spontaneous nature now that she was assigned to live with the woman. 'I will have to reassess my interactions with others', the Commander came to mind, 'It appears that I have an insufficient test set to properly understand social interaction', Rei thought as Misato began picking out quite a few interesting looking fruits. Kiwi's, a pineapple. After a short time she had convinced Rei to select a few items to herself. The thoughtful look on the girls face as she chose was touching. Something that held the same kind of detail and care a Norman Rockwell painting had.

The ended up buying enough produce to fill most of the fridge space not already reserved for beer, beer, and more beer.

The rest of the ride home was a more content affair now that Rei had done something in Misato's eyes. What the Major didn't know was that Rei had already done something far more important to her development than learning to choose things she liked.

If someone had bothered to enter Rei's old apartment that night, they would have found it largely the same, the clothes were gone but much of the debris was still there. And . . . lying on a table, a pair of old glasses.

I apologize for the shortness but it sets the pace for the next chapter. Yui, school, Shinji screaming like a little girl, and Kensuke. You knew the stoojes would be involved, didntja.


	7. Unforseen

Don't own anything. Well I do own things, just nothing to do with copyrights to EVA. Otherwise this weeks episode would be throwing Naota, Haruko, and the rest of the FLCL cast into Tokyo-3 to screw with Gendo's scenarios. Oh wait THAT'S MY OTHER FANFIC, look it up, Neo Cooly I'm waiting to get some reviews on it before I continue. Now on with the show.

Sorry it took so long, been distracted and just had the inspiration to finish this chapter.

Chapter Seven: Unforseen . . .

Rei finished pulling the oversized shirt on as she opened the bathroom door. The Major had insisted on her observing some basic rules of decency if for no one else's sake but Shinji's.

The Major, despite now calling her Misato when she addressed her, Rei would always think of the mauve haired woman by her rank. Something's never changed.

She looked in quietly on the living room, remaining unobtrusive as she noted the occupants. Yui, Asuka, and the Major sat around watching old movies. Rei had considered joining them but felt an intense discomfort being around both the Major and Pilot Soryu when they were in such boisterous moods, especially after the unprecedented amount of shouting between Asuka and Yui earlier in the evening. She did not need to be there so she decided to go some place else.

Rei had never had many desires, and at the moment virtually all of them were being met, primarily being comfortable, clean, and in a quiet environment. That left only one thing to fulfill, be with Shinji. In her objective based mind there was therefore only one possible thing to do. It was fortunate that her intentions had already been endorsed by her sibling.

-'I'll trade with you'- Yui had told her. Rei had not understood what her sibling had meant until she elaborated.

-'You and Shinji are quiet people', Yui had said, her familiar face had taken on a distant and thoughtful expression, 'You bunking with Asuka would probably be very stressful in the long run.' She smiled evilly again. 'Just don't do anything I wouldn't do.' She warned, half joking and half serious.-

Rei had tried to protest that the current arrangements were adequate but Yui would not hear of it.

Shinji had been a little uncomfortable knowing Rei was going to be that close to him while he slept.

When she had been in the hospital the day before he hadn't known what to think he had just been feared for her. But now . . . some of the fear OF her, had crept back in again.

The girl he had kind of liked, and had always been, well, moderately comfortable with wasn't even a member of the same species.

Rei nudged the door open quietly and looked inside. Shinji was laying on his futon S-DAT plugged in and ignoring the rest of the world. Rei studied the scene for some time. He didn't notice her, rapped up in his music player as he was.

Rei did not bother him, instead stepping softly across the floor, avoiding his field of vision, and laying down on her own futon, pulling the blankets up over herself.

It was strange to her in a way. The smell of the fabric, it was clean and fresh, not wreaking of sweat and blood like her old bed had. It was enough to make her thoughtful of washing the sheets and bedding. Something she had never considered before.

Being set adrift by the Commander was forcing her to think more. Her own inevitable death played on in the background but it was not in the nature of a living being whether it was born of a mother and father or created in a vat of LCL to brood on its own demise for any extended period of time.

'I will have to continue in my observations', she decided as she made herself comfortable. There was a muted click as the S-DAT tape reached the end of the track.

Shinji's eyes opened suddenly as he realized there was another in the room. He frowned, who was it? 'Mother', he remembered the new bunk arrangements, 'No, Rei'. He corrected frowning slightly. 'Why am I afraid of her now, I like her don't I, I'-

"Hey Rei?"

Where had that voice come from? Shinji glanced at the door, but it was still closed, so where?

"Yes Ikari?" Rei replied softly.

Shinji was startled, had he spoken?

"Uh, um, I mean", 'Quick think of something to say!' "I'm glad you didn't die," Shinji blurted out, regretting the words almost immediately. Even to him that sounded stupid, honestly what worse thing could you say to a girl? 'You have very nice gums?' Ok there were a few more idiotic things but . . ."I am glad too", Rei replied softly.

"Huh?" Shinji replied, well he hadn't expected an answer. Much less an answer that agreed with his comment.

"If I had died then I would not have discovered that there is a reason for me to continue living." Rei explained. She pondered that. If her reason for living was to be with others, specifically Shinji, and other people's reason for living was also to be with others, then was not instrumentality, all becoming one, a flawed concept? How could you be with others when there was no being but the one. If instrumentality was truly the highest calling of humanity then would people not seek to be one with all others? Humans seemed to wish to be one only with those they cared for.

'This would be dangerous ground if instrumentality were still planned', Rei decided. 'But now it is important that I think about it. These thoughts may provide greater incite'.

"Wh-what reason did you find to live Rei?", Shinji asked curious. He wanted her to be happy if nothing else. That much he felt he owed her as her friend and as the closest thing she had to family. 'God that sounds pathetic', as he thought as much, 'Rei . . .'

Rei shifted uncomfortably but pushed ahead, nothing could be gained by stopping now. Shinji felt something small and warm slide into his grip applying pressure slightly. In the moonlight he could see Rei's arm stretching across the space between the mattresses her hand laying on his.

"You", she said, tucking her head in beneath the covers. She was suddenly irrationally afraid Shinji would refuse her affection, then what? What would she do with both people she had devoted herself to denied her love in return?

'No, I must not think like this, Shinji is different from the Commander'. She was risking so much by acting this way. She knew it could lead to pain but maybe it was worth it.

His hand closed around hers. "Thank you Rei." He replied softly.

She was startled slightly, "For what?"

"For, just being you." Shinji replied, how should he explain it?

"Then why should you thank me if I am merely being myself? I have done nothing special." Rei replied, her voice remained soft and measured. It was a constant, comforting, something that had become important to him in his time piloting.

"That's exactly it though", Shinji said back. He couldn't think of anything else to say, any other way to explain it. He was thankful that Rei was who she was, yes there was a lot to be done but there was something good in her, something sincere that shown through, if you looked hard enough.

There was a long silence. "Very well, I will continue to be myself then." Rei replied.

The seriousness in that voice almost made Shinji laugh, but he at least had the sense to catch himself on that, he really didn't think he could explain humor to Rei tonight.

Rei was content, she knew Shinji was important to her. And if he had not said he loved her, he did care. That was enough, that was all she asked and he had given it.

That night Rei slept with the tiniest hint of smile on her face.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"So, what do you think Kouzo?" Gendo asked as he moved his rook to take his second in commands knight.

The elder man, gray haired and with a presence that exuded 'Scholar', studied the chess board. "If I hadn't talked to her myself I would have thought you'd finally cracked under the pressure." He said moving his queen out of the way of Gendo's now revealed bishop.

He'd nearly passed out from terminal heart failure when Rei had called him by his first name, and proceeded to explain and prove that she was Yui Ikari, or at least a facsimile so good that there was little difference. The lunch spent with Yui and Gendo confirmed in his mind that this was his old friend, the woman he had secretly adored despite her relationship with Gendo. And the person he too wished to get back.

"Though I wonder if Rei would really have listened to orders as insane as you would have to give her to pull this off." Kouzo Fuyutsuki was a man who could be profoundly blunt when need be, and had that amazingly dry sense of humor peculiar to teachers. The last of his doubt had disappeared when Yui outright insulted Gendo over the living conditions Rei had been put in.

"I doubt she would . . . now." Gendo replied as he moved his own knight into position, forcing Fuyutsuki to choose between sacrificing either his rook or his only remaining knight, and thus sacrifice the unique movement type of the knight to Gendo.

"How so?" Fuyutsuki asked, "She isn't jealous of Yui is she?" He asked with an amused look on his face.

Gendo shook his head. "No, I believe she may however be growing rebellious." Gendo replied.

Fuyutsuki frowned, if there was a problem with Rei then Commander Ikari should have just made the current Rei disappear and replaced her with the third.

"I will not replace her yet, Kozo", Gendo said simply, answering his old teachers unasked question.

Fuyutsuki was surprised, he knew Gendo cared to same degree for Rei, or had. The poor child had only seemed happy when the commander spoke to her, but he would still use her and would still destroy her when necessary.

Kozo kept trying to justify all of this to himself, using children like this for the betterment of man even such a sickly twisted and distorted child as Rei. He would accept Ikari's final decision when it came to instrumentality, he was just along for the ride. That didn't mean he did not have his own reservations.

Still he knew Gendo better than just that, the man would not tolerate uncontrolled variables. Part of the reason he disliked his son. Shinji could be manipulated easily enough, but his inherent instability made it a risky proposition. Rei was so much easier, if she had become too much trouble it would be a simple process of eliminating the current one and replacing her with a memory edited copy.

"Isn't that a little risky?" Fuyutsuki asked as he scanned the board. 'What to do, what to do . . .'

"We could not have tolerated it under the original scenario," Gendo agreed, "But the unmasking of her emotions may make her more affective as a pilot against the angels."

"It may negatively affect her as well though", Fuyutsuki pointed out.

"True, but in that case it is no great loss. If she becomes ineffective in her duties then we will simply have to activate the third." Gendo responded, pushing his glasses back up slightly.

"Very well", Kouzo said slowly. Finally sacrificing his rook, watching Gendo's closest pawn take it, but moving his knight out of reach of the Commander's bishop in the process.

"SEELE will be calling anytime now, the old men are undoubtedly suspicious, the 13th Should have attacked by now." Fuyutsuki noted, rubbing his temples, 'did you have to do that Gendo?' It was only going to cause major complications in any event.

"They can't do anything yet." Gendo said simply, there was a cold smirk on his face. "None of the MP EVA's have been completed, and they rely on us to provide the dummy plug data. Even if they move now they cannot hope to penetrate the GeoFront as things stand."

That was true, though the defenses around Tokyo-3 were designed to stop angels, several strategists had done calculations suggesting that the defense grid, without the help of the Evangelions, could successfully hold off three mechanized divisions and the SSDF's full air wing before expending all surface ordinance. With the EVA's in support, it did not even warrant thinking about.

"Still we will have to move quickly if we want to put the scenario into affect." Fuyutsuki said. SEELE could not risk a direct confrontation just yet, but they would begin to stack the deck in the their favor.

"Agreed, decontamination will begin on Unit-03, it will be reassembled within the next month, hopefully before the arrival of the 14th.

"And the pilot?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"We will either use the fourth or the dummy plug system, depending on the test results." Gendo decided, the dummy plug system would be preferable as it would allow him to use his tertiary scenario. In which case SEELE could not hope to win.

Fuyutsuki sighed as he contemplated his old protégée, "We just have to get through the last four and it will all be over", he said tiredly.

"No", Gendo replied, "Only then will it begin, the fight for who will control the potential for instrumentality."

Gendo noted the board with a studied eye, moving his own knight once again to complete the complex garret of his trap, "Checkmate"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

'Cinnamon' Shinji thought suddenly as he began to awaken. 'No', it wasn't cinnamon, though the smell was sweet and faintly spicy, but there was something else, a sent of cleanness. It was very nice, just like that warm feeling on his chest . . .

His senses slowly began to return to him as he became fully awake and finally noted the ball of warmth that seemed to be localized around his mid-section, determined to get in his skin with him. He opened his eyes, the lower half of his vision was obscured by a tangle of blue. He looked down.

Considering her emotionless and some would say cold nature, he would never have imagined Rei was a snuggler.

She had shifted in her sleep, guided by the hand she had held to the nearest source of warmth, slowly rolling towards him in a tangle of limbs and blankets over the course of the night.

Most males would have happily let this touching scene go on until the girl woke up, Shinji on the other hand saw only one solution being the brave, staunch, and skilled pilot he was, when confronted by a girl he adored first thing in the morning.

The entire apartment was filled with a high pitched screaming. Yui was the first there, she almost seemed to teleport into the room. "Rei what's the matter?" She shouted, drawing attention to herself from a horrified Shinji.

The problem there being her own old habit, now reinstated as she slept in Asuka's room, of sleeping topless.

Shinji paled starring.

"What are you . . . ?" Yui looked down. "Damn it", she ducked out quickly face already turning red. Asuka was next, though she was mostly red faced out of anger more than anything else. "Baka what are you doing still in bed! If you've got energy to scream, you've got energy to cook!" She was damned if she was going to let Shinji get away with waking her unless she had food soon. Hopefully chewing him out now would make him guilty enough to make something good.

Yui blinked as she pulled a shirt on over her bare chest. Asuka's words had been nearly as loud as the initial screaming. Her son screamed like that? Well he always had been a bit too feminine. 'It would have been nice if you could have raised him Gendo', she sighed as she came back out of Asuka's room.

Misato had managed to drowze through it all, slapping desperately at the snooze timer on her clock as the noise outside her room began to build again with Asuka and Shinji's arguing. The noise finally reached a threshold.

The door to their care givers room slammed open. "SHUT THE HELL UP", she roared into the faces of both pilots.

Yui was thankfully for her hearing, in Shinji's room with Rei.

Rei on her part was awake and mildly confused. She could remember having a nice warmth pressed up against her and then having it yanked away as Shinji began screaming. She rubbed at her right eye sleepily, face still emotionless as Yui plugged her ears.

It didn't bother Rei, it was uncomfortable, but no more than the sound of construction at her old apartment. The two 'sisters' waited for the chaos to subside in the hallway before Yui poked her head out tentatively. She sighed in relief as she saw Shinji heading into the kitchen, several seconds passed before the sound of a beer can opening, a deep gulp and then a sudden "YEEEEEEEeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhaaaaaaa" broke the morning calm once more.

She flinched, 'damn you Misato', Yui thought darkly. There were some thing's, like getting plastered after a stressful day or hell even morning, that she knew she was going to miss very much. Though she had only ever done it rarely to begin with, 'Odd I'm thinking like this.' Yui noted as she headed back to Asuka's room. She had to get ready for the day just like the rest of the children. It was going to be a day with quite a few explanations involved.

'Perhaps this proves that the body does dictate the personality to some degree.' Though didn't that mean she should have been an emotionless drone? She shook her head sadly, then stopped and turned back to Rei who had just stepped from Shinji's room. "Why did Shinji scream like that?" She asked, suddenly suspicious.

Rei, being underdeveloped in many fields, such as her social skills, responded truthfully. "I believe he is troubled that we slept together." Rei's face was still neutral, but disappointment filled her, she had liked being close to Shinji, it had been warm and contenting.

Yui paled. "Rei, YOU SLEPT WITH HIM!" It would have seemed impossible for Yui's voice, nearly as soft as Rei's, to be so loud. There was a sound of breaking glass from the kitchen, followed shortly by the sound of thundering feet as Asuka and Misato both rushed in on Shinji. From down the hallway Yui could easily hear the others shout.

"YOU SLEPT WITH HER!"

Rei blinked a few times at the accusation from Yui even as Shinji was being chewed out in the background. "What is wrong?" She asked confused. She had answered honestly, she HAD slept with Shinji from what she could deduce of her situation from the moments proceeding Shinji's sudden revelation to what was laying in his arms.

Yui finally caught her self and sighed. "Rei, when you say sleep with you do mean platonically right?"

Rei blinked again, it seemed to be a signal of when the strange girl was shifting mental gears. "Are you insinuating that I have had sexual relations with Ikari?"

It was Yui's turn to blink. "Well, I . . . guess that was a little foolish of me." She said lamely. Her face flush, she was supposed to be a voice of reason and she'd just jumped to conclusions, not to mention after she had been playing matchmaker with both of these poor kids.

Rei tilted her head, "If I understand the purpose of sexual intercourse then it is possible I would like to enjoy it with Shinji . . ."

Yui paled again, already opening her mouth to speak.

". . . At a later time", Rei finished.

Yui almost collapsed in relief. "Rei dear, we're going to have to explain a little something called tact to you." Yui sighed as she placed a hand on her forehead, it occurred to her that 'at a later time' was pretty vague, but for the moment she was just going to prey Rei meant much later.

"Yes Ma'am", Rei replied.

Yui rolled her eyes to look up at the girl, "Yui, Rei, Yui, we're sisters now." Yui said as she got up and grabbed Rei by the shoulders, hugging her around from behind. The girl stiffened like a board at the sudden, forceful, physical contact. She softened slightly as she grew used to it.

It was an odd feeling, she did not entirely like this violation of her personal space, but it was endurable if it made Shinji and Yui happy. And it was not totally uncomfortable once she became used to it, still it wasn't Shinji.

'Why do I want Shinji to want to hold me?' Rei wondered, it was again something she had little understanding of. She considered asking Yui but discarded the thought. Her sibling still seemed a little agitated as she released her grip.

"Yes Yui", Rei replied softly as she followed her sister down the hallway to the kitchen table. Asuka and Misato were already in an argument over the number of synch tests the children had to go through, it didn't stop Asuka from finding time to berate Shinji's cooking between shouts at Misato.

"How can you possibly mess up french toast!" Asuka shouted in disgust as she downed some more of her meal. She'd never admit that it was at least as good as anything she had ever had in a restaurant.

As soon as Yui entered Asuka's glare shifted to her.

The second the exhausted girl had walked through the door the night before Asuka had torn into her for not telling them about her plans to return to school with them. The fighting had gone on for several hours leaving Shinji and Rei to bare the brunt of the noise pollution generated by their room mates.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" Asuka had shouted.

"It's necessary Asuka, we're balanced on a razor as it is, we must keep up appearances." Yui had replied. That was the truth, SEELE was only agreeing to Yui's existence under the belief that she was dummy plug experiment, such data would be invaluable to the operation of the mass production units. It had taken Doctor Akagi some time to work up a bogus experiment to convince the SEELE members.

If they had ordered her death then it would have meant house arrest deep within the NERV Geofront until Gendo could arrange for her escape, or revealed his true intent. And in that case she would have to leave Shinji and Rei to there own fates.

That was something she would not do to either of them. Despite seeing both as her children they were also so totally different, genetically, and spiritually, that she could not hope to make them see each other as siblings. Even if that was what they had desired, and Yui knew it most definitely wasn't. Well she knew Rei deep down inside didn't want it that way, even if she herself didn't know it yet.

People could learn to live without there siblings, but never without their soulmate.

'Perhaps . . . Is this how Lilith thinks of us, her children, yet so different in so many ways from one another.' Yui had to suppress a snicker. 'Do Angels even HAVE incest?'

She came back to the argument as Asuka continued. "Why, does it have to be our class though?" Asuka asked, almost whining as she spoke.

Yui sighed, "Lets just say its less suspicious, and means Section Two can focus its resources on a smaller area."

Asuka snorted, "Why doesn't the Commander just keep you tucked up in the GeoFront, after all he'll send everyone else to their death for you, its worse the Wondergirl!"

Yui's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He may very well do that Asuka, but I never asked him to and you can be damn sure if he was the only one left between me and a threat he'd charge right in headfirst." Yui snarled. 'At least, if there is anything left of my Rokubungi he would.' She thought to herself.

The fighting had degenerated from there. Strangely after about an hour they both just stopped, their battle of the wills interrupted by dinner. When they came back neither of them was interested in starting up again. It was much like Asuka and Misato's relationship, they argued, but in the end they could live with each other . . . barely.

Yui shrugged as she returned to the present, smiling. "Well, it should be an interesting day for me."

Shinji nodded imperceptibly. "Are you sure your going to be ok with this Mother, you haven't exactly been in the loop for a while." Shinji warned sincerely. Ok so he wasn't seriously expecting his mother to act all that oddly, but her personality was easily on the acentric side when it came to such things.

"I'll be fine", Yui reassured him. It was part of her nature, she was the kind of person who would take whatever life through at her with open arms. Even imprisonment in Unit-01 had not seemed so terrible when she knew she could protect her son.

"Which reminds me", Yui said looking at the clock. "I need to get ready." She grabbed a piece of toast and an orange, stuffing the toast in her mouth and chewing on it as she headed back to her shared room.

Rei simply sat down and began peeling an orange, indifferent, for the moment she was content.

Shinji went back to work making breakfast, and Asuka went back to work berating him about it, now without Yui there to distract her from the target of her abuse.

Misato shrugged as she watched the Chaos, grabbed a piece of toast, and headed out the door.

Shinji was left waiting outside the apartment door a full ten minutes while Yui got ready, Rei just headed off to school without even thinking to wait. When the door finally opened it was Asuka who stood before him. "Whe-re's Mother, I thou-"

"She told me not to wait up." Asuka interrupted as she grabbed Shinji's arm and pulled him painfully along towards the elevator. They had to hurry or THEY would be late for school, uh what about moth-"

"Call her Yui baka, just try explaining a slip like that to the stoojes, you know they'd get curious then!"

"Oh, er right, gomen, gomen, sorry Asuka." Shinji said as she kept pulling him along.

"Idiot", Was Asuka's muttered reply.

The walk to school was surprisingly uneventful, Shinji used the time to consider how he was about to lie to his friends, reciting a few details he'd gone over with his mother the night before. Her likes, dislikes, things a person might pick up about a new friend.

The classroom was the same today as it always was, Shinji didn't seem to care about that, but Asuka had the common sense to know it was a time bomb. The school hadn't had a new student since her arrival and now they would be dealing with another student with the likeness of a person everyone here had already accepted as a quiet Ice Queen.

The affect would not be pretty, something on the order of a mallet hitting a ripe watermelon.

As soon as Shinji entered the classroom it was apparent that Hikari had been talking, Kensuke and Touji both were waiting for him when he got to his desk, eagerly anticipating the chance to pick their friends brain clean of all things involving NERV and much more importantly, Misato.

"Hey Hikari told me we're getting a new student today", Touji opened already on the advance. Kensuke backed him up.

"Yeah Ayanami's sister huh?" Kensuke asked, Shinji knew they were trying to keep him reeling so they could get the information they wanted out of his stuttered responses, knowing that didn't stop it from working.

"Yeah, I, it . . .s, Ayanami's sister, yeah, uhm, Yui . . . she's from Tokyo-2 . . An . . d uh."

"Relax we're not going to interrogate you Shin-man." Touji said, slapping his friend on the back. "We were just going to ask some questions about her, that's all, probably some cold Ice Queen like Ayanami."

"Well . . ." Shinji began.

"Hey, speaking of questions." Kensuke butted in. "Where were you yesterday, Touji?"

"Oh, I had to visit my sister, they move her to the NERV hospital." Touji replied, leaving out half of the truth, it was the truth NERV had accepted her into the hospital as they had agreed despite not having a use for him at the moment. That was the only reason he had accepted their offer to pilot, and when they told him that the EVA was being decontaminated he had been furious, thought mostly out of fear for his sisters treatment.

That was before the creepy bearded guy had come in an explained everything, he was being kept as a possible candidate as a reserve pilot until they fixed whatever was wrong with Unit-03, then he would fulfill his end of the deal by piloting. His sister would be taken care of regardless, but he was not to speak a word of the events that day on pain of his sister being put back in a normal hospital. Touji had complied, his sister needed the treatment that only an advanced medical facility could offer.

"Huh, how'd they manage to get her in there?" Kensuke asked, the boy despite his obsession with all things military, was not as naive as many would have thought.

"Eh, well, we ended up lucking out I guess. NERV just up and accepted to care for her, maybe it's good PR or something." Touji replied.

Kensuke and Shinji nodded absently in agreement.

Shinji kept a look out for Yui, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but she didn't appear before the bell rang. The class was ordered to their seats and Hikari went through the normal morning rituals.

"Stand"

"Bow"

"Sit"

In fact it was not for another five minutes before Yui finally made her entrance, the paperwork had all been signed the day before so she had only to be to class on time. Unfortunately Yui was about as directionally challenged as she was culinarily challenged, which was to say she couldn't find magnetic north with a compass and a copy of 'Navigation for Dummies: A reference for the rest of us.'

Nobody really paid much attention when the teacher announced their new arrival, that was until she stepped into the class. Then quite a few people took notice.

There first reaction was, invariably, to look back at Rei who sat starring out the window as always. The new girl looked to be a perfect duplicate, well, almost perfect duplicate. But there was a slight spring to her steps, her hair bobbed pleasantly, and in general an air of cheerfulness seemed to emanate from her.

She turned on her heel to face the class, a bright smile on her face as she bowed deeply. "Good morning, I'm Yui Ayanami, a pleasure to meet you all." The voice was soft but filled with the same inflection a cheeriness that suffused every other aspect of the girl.

Touji was busy trying to focus on something other then the girl up front, and failing miserably, Hikari was giving him an irritable look. And Kensuke was busy pawing for his camera. There were some things you just had to get a picture of, and a girl like this was one of them. It was hard to believe that her and Rei could be related, despite being identical. It was like looking at perfect emotional opposites, even more so then Asuka and Rei.

Kensuke clumsily snapped pictures for the rest of the day, taking shots from odd angles of the smiling angel in their midst. Little did Kensuke know, he wasn't the only one taking pictures of the girl he had been smitten with on sight.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Let me guess, this wasn't in your scenario?" Kouzo asked snickering under his breath.

"No", Gendo replied. "It was not. We will have to do something about it." He studied the pictures of a shortish boy with light brown hair and glasses. 'Kensuke Aida'. "Have section two keep a close eye on this boy." Gendo ordered.

"Of course", Kouzo replied. "Though I wonder, are you bothered because Yui may have an admirer or because he is of the appropriate age, while you . . ."

Gendo gave Fuyutsuki a cold glare. "You know that isn't it . . ." He ground out.

Fuyutsuki stopped his prodding, it had been over ten years since he had heard Gendo use that tone of voice. It invariably promised his intent for physical violence. Like the time he had stood up for Yui in a bar fight, and been laid out flat by a sucker punch. Gendo had a glass jaw. Still there was no reason to anger him.

Few people could ever understand they way Gendo loved Yui, the romantic aspect of their relationship was only part of it. He had from the day he met her, loved her laugh, her kindness, the general feeling of warmth she gave him, she had become his moral compass and his guiding light. If she had been his daughter he would as readily have loved her as his daughter, had she been his sister he would as readily have loved her as his sister. It was the intense purity of that love that had driven him, women like Ritsuko could never understand that lust was merely the only feeble bit of the love he held for his wife that he could relive with another, without feeling it was some cheap imitation.

This didn't stop him from wanting Yui all to himself, and jealously guarding her like an overprotective father.

An overprotective father with enough firepower to level a small country.

"I didn't mean anything by it." Kouzo reassured.

"I know." Gendo said tonelessly.

"You intend to eat dinner with them tonight correct?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Of course, Yui has requested it, and . . . I believe I am ready to try and be a father to my son, it would make Yui happy." Gendo said slowly.

'This could turn out poorly'. Was Kouzo's only thought as he made a mental note to have the special sweep team on standby near the Major's apartment. A half dozen Section Two agents in powered exoskeletons seemed about right for the job of keeping Gendo from snapping and shooting someone.

"Might I suggest a possible way to kill two birds with one stone?" Fuyustuki asked.

Gendo nodded his head slightly.

"We may be able to keep the spy out of NERV by giving him a task elsewhere." The Sub Commander explained, both parties knew full well what elsewhere meant in this case. Gendo would either like the simplicity of it, or want to kill Fuyutsuki for suggesting it. Fortunately it appeared he chose the former. "Get me agent Ryoji."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Gendo is changing the scenario." SEELE 01 said coldly.

"We cannot be certain of that yet." SEELE 11 replied.

"Yes but we cannot risk the nephilim being controlled by him, we should retrieve the soul fragment of Lilith." SEELE 02 suggested.

"Not yet." SEELE 01 warned. "The Nephilim's soul must not be separated from its body yet, her core must reach its full S2 potential as the prophecies have stated, 'and the First Children unto will awaken and sacrifice herself to her final challenge to be reborn as the true form of Lilith'. This will not happen until the attack of the 16th".

The other SEELE monoliths were silent for several seconds.

A consensus was reached, arrangements were made. A SEELE facility in switzerland was activated, artificial AT field generators, creating a field that even a mere human could negate by their very presence, but which were still sufficient for their intended task. The lengthy process began. If someone had been present in the facility over the next few weeks they would have been horrified to see the form slowly emerging within the LCL, first as a vague cloudy outline of higher nutrients concentrations, then slowly taking a solid form that melted into human features. The shell would be ready when it was needed. It was unfortunate that SEELE had only the dummy plug programing, but in a way that was to their advantage, they would want her to be incapable of disobeying them if they needed to utilize the tertiary scenario.

When the Nephilim known as Rei Ayanami was reborn in her third incarnation she would lie in the hands of SEELE.


	8. Dinner Party, Stake out, Ryouji Sensei

Chapter Eight: Dinner Party, Section Two Stake Out, Ryoji Sensei.

It was a relatively quiet evening at the Major apartment. Relatively quiet. As in nobody was slinging N2 mines, positron weapons, or Misato's cooking about. In fact it was fortunate that Misato WASN'T cooking tonight, it was fortunate any night Misato didn't cook.

The primary reason it was good tonight was that Commander Ikari had been invited . . . correction . . . HAD invited HIMSELF to the Katsuragi/Ikari/Ayanami/Soryu residence for dinner.

'I really need to consider a bigger apartment.' Misato decided as she looked about, Asuka and Yui were arguing, Rei was in the kitchen with Shinji just for the sake of escaping the noise, even the sound of construction near her old apartment was less obnoxious then this! And Misato was stuck in the middle of it all, pulling on a semi presentable outfit for the commander's visit.

As if on cue the door bell rang.

"I'll get it!" Yui shouted as she untangled herself from a conversation with Asuka and shot down the hall towards the door.

Gendo bowed his head as he entered the apartment, gave Yui a smile and handed her a bocce. Yui didn't know whether to find this charming, or kind of disturbing . . . She shook her head, she still loved Gendo, and the opposite was still true, despite her appearance she still had nearly thirty years of operative life experience, she was an adult mentally and emotionally. Yui decided charming was the right word.

"Come in Rokubungi", Yui said teasingly, pulling the commander of NERV in by the arm of his jacket like a child would her father. And leaving Gendo quite surprised before he hid it as best he could behind a mask of indifference.

Yui blinked a few times, mouth pursed, "Don't be like that."

"Hmmm?"

"That! Your trying to hide behind your creepy face, don't do it!" Yui teased, poking his shoulder gently.

Gendo loosened up a bit as he took the Major's apartment in for the first time. He honestly would have proffered that Yui live with him, but as it was, his apartment amounted to a studio room where he came to sleep some nights. Otherwise he essentially lived at the Geofront. Yui had never been one to stand for so much time spent inside proffering the open air, and the perpetual warm days since Second Impact, to the tight confines of Tokyo-3's underground bastions. This, he had to agree, was the best arrangement to be made.

The apartment was satisfactory, everything appeared clean and in order. The Second Child was occupied watching TV. "Good evening Commander", she said absently as she watched a soap opera intently.

"Asuka! You could at least be a little more polite!" Misato berated as she turned to face her superior officer. "Sir, good evening." She gave a slight nervous salute. At least she'd had the decency to wear something appropriate for the engagement.

"Where are the First and Third Children?" The Commander asked.

Yui smacked him on the shoulder.

Gendo glanced at her apologetically, " . . . Where are Shinji and Rei?" He asked this time, gaining a nod of approval from Yui.

"Oh, their in the kitchen." Misato replied as she gave the Commander of NERV a mischievous wink. "There quite cute together."

Yui coughed into her hand slightly at the comment, nudging Gendo slightly toward the kitchen. It was time for him to speak with his son, whether he liked it or not. She didn't expect them to become a family, too much time had been lost for that, but she did want to see both of the men in her life get along. More importantly though it would break Shinji and Rei apart for a little bit.

It wasn't that Yui didn't adore Rei and think she and Shinji would make a good couple, and there was no reason to prevent it. But her motherly instincts were shrieking for her to carefully manipulate her son's relationship. All good mothers did that, right? RIGHT!

Gendo seemed to get the message hurriedly excusing himself politely under the scrutiny of Yui.

The apartment's arrangement was straightforward so he had no trouble finding the kitchen as it was the first door off the hallway. He paused for a moment, noting the situation, a slight smirk showed through before his mask fell back in place.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The door bell buzzed out in the living room. "I'll get it." A voice rang out.

Shinji sighed as he worked on dinner, his mother was very, energetic. Not one to take anything lying down in the least. Rei stood next to him slowly chopping vegetables, she was considerably better at it then Yui, following his instructions and precisely duplicating the technique he had shown her.

Rei glanced over at Shinji curiously, Rei paid more attention then most people realized. Many of her fellow students just thought she was stupid. They couldn't be farther from the truth. She tried to see the flaws that other girls saw in Shinji, but she couldn't. She liked his feminine features, she liked his sad eyes, she liked his kindness even if it was mostly due to his normally wimpish nature.

"Ikari?"

"Hmmm, yes?"

"Do you . . . like me?" She asked, continuing in her work without pause despite how apprehensive she was. 'Why am I like this? I am confident Ikari likes me . . . but he has not said so himself . . . And I am not . . . adapt at such things. . . I could be mistaken . . .'

Shinji however was frozen in abject terror. 'Quick, she asked if you like her, say YES! Wait! What if it's a trick question! Don't answer!'

The silence that followed made Rei feel slightly ill. She let it continue for a full minute. "I . . . see." She whispered as she turned back to the vegetables.

"No, i-it's not like . . ." Shinji began startled.

"Not like what?"

"N-nothing."

Rei did not inquire further, instead continuing with her quite task.

"Shinji."

He turned startled at that cold voice to see his father in the doorway. Shinji paled visibly he hadn't been sure how he would act with in his fathers presence for any prolonged time but he had promised his mother he would try. Rei simply continued with her work. If somebody had payed attention they might have noticed the slight tenseness as if she was forcing herself to ignore the Commander.

"Rei . . . leave." Gendo ordered as he entered the small cooking space.

Rei froze for an instant, part of her psyche was screaming to stay near Shinji, another part of her was pulling at her to leave the room as her superior officer had ordered. She'd never had such a conflicting tangle of thoughts and emotions. On the outside none of this could be seen, after a long pause Rei quietly inched past the Commander and Shinji before finding a convenient place to stand in the hallway within earshot but out of sight.

'The Commander told me to leave he did not tell me where to leave to.' Rei reasoned as she took her vigil listening in on the soft chopping and preparation of the meal.

The silence was almost unbearable for Shinji as his father stood in Rei's place cutting the vegetables while saying nothing, he finally couldn't stand it any longer.

"Y-you lied." He whispered, his throat going tight.

Gendo did not reply, instead continuing to chop the vegetables in Rei's stead.

"I get it now, why you didn't keep any pictures, you used Rei!" He turned his voice only a little louder but as defiant as a shout in his father's face, the elder Ikari was perhaps the only man Shinji could ever get angry at and his tempter had finally reached the boiling point.

"You used Rei as a replacement for Mother, WHY? Why did you do something like that!"

Gendo didn't say anything at all, he seemed totally unfazed by Shinji's outburst. After several long agonizing moments he spoke.

"I was afraid . . . I would forget what I was doing this for." Gendo said simply, it was a partial truth he had been afraid he would forget her face, her smile . . .

Shinji didn't speak, and in fact grew quiet and perhaps very slightly sympathetic as his father continued.

"You see, your Mother and I wanted to be sure the Angels would be defeated so we pushed for the development of the EVA system. It was . . . My own fault that she was in Unit-01 to begin with. During the testing, we were so _sure_ it would be safe. . ."

Gendo trailed off. "I seriously considered suicide after your mother was . . . absorbed." He continued, it was a testament of Gendo's own tremendous strength of character the he managed to tell this much of his story to his son without quaver and why he had decided now to tell it he was not sure himself strange events caused people to do strange things. "But I still had responsibilities to discharge, the operation of Gehrin and then NERV, and the defense against the Angels. Yui . . . always wanted a daughter, so you would have a playmate. And we agreed that once Unit-01 was completed and the testing was done we would conceive your little sister. But after the accident . . ."

The chopping stopped and Shinji turned to see the vegetables neatly cut.

His father was already stepping back out towards the hallway when he paused. "Shinji, you can never understand another person completely, but . . . perhaps you can understand them, enough." With that Gendo stepped out into the hall and walked quietly back toward the living room.

Shinji didn't know what his father was referring to but he nodded slowly. 'Maybe I understand a little . . . father but why couldn't you have been kinder to her . . . why couldn't you have accepted her as your daughter if you were so . . .'

Rei's head poked back in curiously, she said nothing as she stood quietly beside Shinji.

"What is wrong?" She asked noting the stiffness of his arms as he worked on the meal.

"N-nothing Ayanami." He replied trying to avoid her gaze as he focused on his work cooking the beef.

"You are lying." She stated simply, Rei may not have entirely understood emotions or what motivated them but she COULD read them in others.

"W-What?"

"You are lying." She repeated, "Something is bothering you."

"Yeah, maybe its . . ." Shinji felt something wrapped tight against him and blinked as he felt Rei press her head against his back. "A-Ayanami what are you . . ." He swallowed as she tightened the grip slightly.

"Major Katsuragi explained that when a person you care for is troubled you try to make them feel better." She replied, 'I did not expect this to be so comforting for myself.' Rei thought, and brushed that track of thought from her mind as she focused on Shinji's well being. He had cared and worried about her, now she would return that care and worry for him.

Shinji swallowed, but managed to smile slightly, he hadn't expected anything like this from Rei, but it also seemed so much in kind with her, simple and to the point.

"Its alright Rei, I just feel bad about everything my Father has done."

Rei looked at Shinji curiously. "The Commander has done great things Shinji, if it were not for him project-E may have been derailed at any point and the earth would have found itself in grave peril. It is thanks to him and his associates that the EVA's were ready when the Angels finally came. Because of his actions the entire human race can have hope of a better future."

Those words startled Shinji, he didn't doubt that his father had at least to begin with some kind of selfish motive, his own hatred and slight fear of the man allowed no other possibility. But he couldn't deny that great good had come from his actions and sheer determination.

"Yeah Rei . . . maybe your right." Shinji said distantly, Gendo may never have been a good father or even a good human being, it did not stop him from having done great things and it didn't stop a certain pride from welling up in Shinji. "But I still feel bad about things like how he hurt you."

Rei pulled out of the embrace so she could look Shinji in the face. Shinji flinched afraid she was going to strike him, instead however he just saw her staring at him curious. "The Commander has never harmed me Shinji of that I am certain." Rei whispered firmly.

She didn't add anything about her fated death, that was the Commander making a command decision, it was simply the brutal truth of the equation in her eyes and she felt no betrayal over it.

Shinji simply nodded, "Maybe Rei . . ."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Nothing unusual." Agent Tanaka muttered as he took a sip on his drink. Three other Section Two agents of the Special Operations squad sat in the van around him, monitoring sensor taps, including a laser mic aimed at Major Katsuragi's residence.

"Keep your eyes peeled." Agent Miyazaki replied as he sat with his feet on the dashboard keeping watch for any unusual activity along the vehicles forward arc and glancing down at the video feed from several observation camera's hidden in the area around the apartment. They had their orders, don't let anything get close to the Majors residence without authorization. Those orders now applied to over two thirds of Section Two, one hundred and twenty men and women sat in a perimeter stretching out for several blocks, invisible to the untrained eye.

"Hmmm . . . Anyone else here think we have a weird line of work." Tanaka asked.

"No not at all, we keep an eye on a bunch of mentally dysfunctional kids who should be taking medication or at least going to weekly psychiatric sessions, oh yeah and said kids are the saviors of the Earth. Nothing odd at all." Miyazaki replied. He stared intently across the streets where a three man team stood guard from the second story window of an apartment before shifting his eyes to study a man in plain clothes walking his dog. Of course the dog was a Police Trained Doberman and the man himself was a Section Two Agent.

"You know I gave up a job working in the CIA for this." Jankowski, a foreigner and rather irritating man to be around chimed in. "I expected more then just grunt steak out work." True, his line of work had been much more interesting as a Shadow Martial . . . you heard nothing, you saw nothing, what shadow marshals? We don't know what those are, good day . . . Best kind of work in the world in Jankowski's opinion.

"Hey we've got movement up front."

"Eh, oh its just that kid Aida, he's harmless." One of the Agents dismissed him absently. "Still . . . the boss did say no interruptions . . . Tanaka noted with an evil grin on his face. "Can we please . . . please just go and scare him?" The rather intimidating Section Two agent asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"As long as he's not permanently injured . . . Go ahead." The Unit Commander decided.

"I love my job sir." Tanaka said happily as he stepped out of the back of the van with a stun gun at the ready.

Kensuke Aida stayed low as he approached the apartment, he didn't want to attract any attention after all. Camcorder in one hand and a handmade periscope in the other he had several objectives. ONE: Get shots of Asuka which were STILL selling well, and TWO: Get Shots of Yui, which had started selling even better then Asuka at her best.

"Hey kid."

Kensuke did a good imitation of a statue as the grating voice sounded from behind him. He turned slowly to see a tall thin man in plain clothes, a pair of baggy pants, and a sweatshirt, there was a smirk on his face. "You shouldn't be out this late . . ."

"Well erm, I was heading home and . . ."

"What's with the Camera? You been spying on the Majors residence?" He asked, an evil glint in his eyes.

"NO, No, no, no I was just I mean . . ." 'This guy must be Section Two, oh man I'm dead!' Kensuke was sweating.

Tanaka was enjoying this to no end, 'Wish I'd brought a camera.' He thought as he escalated the situation withdrawing a small black shape from his pocket. Kensuke paled to levels that would have rivaled Rei. "Now, now, I m-mean no need to be hasty . . ."

"The Commander has ordered us to keep a close watch on you . . . maybe you're an agent for a foreign government that's trying to steal the designs for the EVA's, or perhaps your some kind of assassin after the children?"

"WHAT!" Kensuke felt his life flash before his eyes as he imagine this man pulling the trigger and silencing him . . . "Oh god all I was going to do was snap pictures . . ." He shouted in fear.

"Aha, so you were going to take pictures to identify the targets for your snipers." Tanaka countered, by now he was cackling away within his own head. "Well then, the Commander's standing orders are to execute any threat to the pilot's on site, sorry kid."

"NOpleasedon-" Kensuke Aida went silent as the Stun Gun discharged, knocking him out with enough voltage to stun a cow. "Nighty night kid." Tanaka muttered, grinning as he thought of what fun they were going to have with the poor boy when he came too. Section Two hired agents based on performance and loyalty, if they were sadistic, cruel, or just plain mean in their spare time . . . well, that was up to them.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Dinner was a quiet affair, some conversation went back and forth amongst everyone crammed around the small dining table. In general it was the discussion of everyday life, it seemed so out of place.

Yet it also was comforting to think that their lives could be like this even with all of the impossible things that had happened in the last few days, Yui commented on the cooking as she dug into her third serving, Misato and Asuka tried their best to keep up with the energetic young (again?) woman's pace.

An unseen smile crossed Gendo's face as he watched the scene, it was soothing somehow to him. If he had only had the chance to have lived life would there have been nights like this? . . . His attention came to be fixed on Shinji, who was in turn focused on Rei. The girl was eyeing the meal on her plate, Rei had never had many kinds of food and this was one of the ones she had no experience with. Some kind of vegetable and rice dish with a sauce over it that Shinji had made just for her and Yui.

She shifted uncomfortably, new things were not good, new things were uncontrolled variables, they could affect her when she didn't want to be affected, change her when she didn't want to be changed. And yet . . . and yet . . . 'It will taste good.' She told herself with absolute belief, she wasn't sure why, but she felt that even if it tasted terrible she would like it because Ikari had been considerate enough to make something for her and Yui.

She steeled herself and took her first bite . . . It was good . . . She took another bite, and another, eating quickly but neatly. Shinji relaxed a little seeing that Rei liked it before noting his mother sitting back contentedly, she looked over to Gendo and gave him a small nod before getting up and heading out the front door to get some fresh air, Gendo followed her quietly, Shinji wondered what they were going to do before noting Rei tugging on his shirt for seconds.

"Its cooler then a remember . . . Yui noted as she stood out on the patio before the apartment.

"The earth is healing." Gendo replied as he draped his jacket over her shoulders.

Yui cocked her head smiling sadly, "That's very romantic coming from you."

"I've had a lot of time to think about romance."

Yui bower her head, "I'm . . . sorry that I can't share it with you."

"That isn't important Yui . . . It never has been." Gendo turned his wife around to look her straight in her eyes, even blood red they were kind and gentle. He wrapped one hand around her back and placed one on the back of her head, and simply held her close.

Gendo was surprised when Yui started to shake gently, he felt the tears soaking through his shirt . . . "Yui?" He asked worried.

"Its . . ." She hiccuped softly as she kept crying "I . . . d-don't deserve to be forgiven . . . I." She stuttered trying to speak clearly through her own misery.

"What is it Yui? What is it that you don't deserve forgiveness for?"

She didn't respond, it hurt too much to think about it. Gendo had done some astonishingly cruel things in pursuing Yui, murder, manipulation, and yet Yui could forgive him because if those acts had not been committed by him then they would inevitably have been committed by another, that was a harsh way to look at it, but she couldn't help but forgive Gendo.

He had been driven to his insanity, she had taken to hers by choice. For a time after she had been absorbed Yui had been aware that she could have escaped while her remains were still within the LCL, she could have left the Core of Unit 01, yet she stayed because her own ego told her to exist here, to make Unit-01 a reminder of humanity for all eternity, such a idealistic and foolish, selfish, goal.

She knew Gendo would have stopped at nothing to get her back, she knew he would use whatever means necessary, she had seen him send away their son and yet had been too far gone to care. Not for ten years, until she saw him again did she finally realize what she had done.

'Oh God . . . Oh God I started this all . . .' Yui thought as Gendo hugged her tighter. 'I started this all, what would have happened, God, what would have happened if I hadn't realized what I had done . . .'

She cried hard into Gendo's shirt until she couldn't go on, falling asleep emotionally exhausted after her failed attempt to admit her own sin. Misato came out after a while worried about what could be taking so long. She saw the Commander lifting Yui softly to carry her back inside.

"What happened?" She asked, looking suspiciously at the Commander as he passed by and continued down the hall, Shinji and Rei had already gone to bed with Asuka sitting out after dinner watching TV and muttering to herself about how stupid Japanese commercials were.

"Yui seems to still be dealing with the residual affect of her emergence from Unit-01, she needs to rest . . . That is all." Gendo explained as he took the girl to her shared room and gently placed her on her futon matt. He brushed her hair aside gently and kissed her on the forehead, "Sleep well Yui." He whispered before standing back up.

He glanced at Misato who was working on her second after dinner beer. "Major . . ." He nodded towards the alcoholic beverage as he headed out into the hallway and into the kitchen. Misato goggled as the Commander snapped the tab on top of the beer can, ignoring the foam that spilled over onto his glove he took a long swig before slamming it down on the table eyes closed for a moment. He exhaled slowly.

"Much better." He turned to the Misato who stood in utter shock . . . Her boss had just drank her beer, her boss had come in and drank her beer . . . The COMMANDER and penultimate dark lord of NERV had come in and drank HER beer.

"Major please keep a close eye on Yui, I fear for her right now she seems . . . troubled, I do not wish to see her hurt." The Commander said not noting Misato's look of shock as he walked past her and headed out the door.

"What's wrong with Misato?" Asuka asked as the Commander passed by her on his way out.

"She is troubled that her world view could be so easily shattered" Gendo replied simply, a smirk on his face, for the elder Ikari fucking with peoples minds was a subconscious thing . . . And . . . he really had needed the beer. Things were going to get very dangerous very soon, with Unit-01 disabled great care would have to be put into defeating the 14th Angel. Great care indeed.

Asuka nodded absently not looking up and continued to watch the movie that she had put in the player. 'Wonder why Yui's already asleep?' Asuka thought.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji sat starring up at the ceiling in his room, Rei was less then an arms length away. Apparently asleep . . . "Shinji?" Apparently not. "Uhh, Yeah Ayanami?"

"May I ask you something in?"

"Uh, sure go ahead."

"What is the difference between caring for someone and . . . liking them."

Shinji paused as he thought about that, it was an odd question from an odd girl. "I guess its mostly that you can like someone but not care for them, but you can't care for someone without liking them, or at least that's how I've always thought of it."

"I see."

There was silence before the next question.

"Do you care for me?" Rei asked.

Shinji's eyes widened as he turned to look at her, Rei's eyes were still shut, she seemed to be listening intently for his response. "O-of course Rei." Shinji stuttered slightly, "You've been through all of this with me, and I . . ." He trailed off as Rei starred at him.

"Why did you not tell me you liked me when I asked?"

He froze as he realized the snare he had tangled himself in, he glanced away ashamed, "I was afraid that . . . you were going to be mean and tease me like Asuka."

"Why would I do that?" Rei asked genuinely confused, she had never in her life thought of harming someone for the sake of cruelty.

"It's nothing, I'm sorry Rei I shouldn't have thought that."

"There is nothing to apologize for, though I would like to request . . ."

"What?"

Rei didn't explain, instead she pushed her futon over and then squirmed until she was up next to him, she snuggled slightly against him, Shinji flushed embarrassed, "A-ayanami?"

"You're warm, I like being next to you." She explained simply as she pulled one of his arms over herself. Her hands gripped his shirt tightly and she buried her face into his chest. They lay there for a few moments. "It is . . . very nice . . ." She trailed off, eyelids already growing heavy. She fell asleep in seconds mind at ease, body content, nothing would hurt her as long as she was like this, her subconscious insisted, her body reacted in much the same way.

Shinji was terrified, overjoyed, and scared beyond any imagining all at once. Rei snuggled a little closer in her sleep exhaling softly. He didn't know what else to do, so he just let her be, that night, laying there, he realized that he wanted this . . . Nothing more and nothing less . . . then to be amongst those who cared for him and for whom he cared in return.

"Good night." He whispered to Rei before closing his eyes and wrapping his arms protectively around her, now unafraid.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Agent Kaji Ryoji cursed slightly as he continued to quicken his pace, something just didn't feel right about this. He could smell it, the Commander was hiding something involving that girl. Kaji was pretty certain Rei didn't have a sister, and he had checked the girls files. There were a few discrepancies, nothing that would catch an investigators attention but enough to tell Kaji something just wasn't quite right.

Which made this assignment either a blessing or a curse, he wasn't sure which. Part of him wanted to say this had been a blessing because it put him in close proximity to the children who seemed more and more to hold the key to what was going on, while another part of him warned that it had to be a trap, the Commander might have known that he was a spy and be isolating him in case he was a lackey of SEELE rather then killing him in cold blood.

He brushed off such thoughts, they wouldn't help him in any case, acting suspiciously now would only seal his death warrant if it wasn't already. And besides the assignment was perfectly legitimate when he considered the spike in Section Two security Activity surrounding all of the pilots. There was only one place in Tokyo-3 where the pilots couldn't be covered by an agent within twenty seconds, and that was his new post.

Still, what was he doing here? He couldn't refuse because it came from the Commander, and he couldn't necessarily say he was qualified for it, then again what was the worse he would have to do.

Kaji came to a stop before the appointed room, swallowing slightly as he realized the number above it, he had a sinking sensation as he worked out what that meant was going to be behind that door. Most likely exactly who he wanted to observe, and exactly who he wanted to avoid . . . wonderful.

Yui looked haggard as she sat down and placed her head against the table top. She hadn't slept well after she had tried to force her own confession. The entire affair had left her emotionally drained to a point beyond wariness.

"You okay?" Hikari asked concerned, Yui's eyes were baggy and dull, her hair was not just unkempt but downright bedraggled and her uniform wasn't much better, but she managed to smile with at least a little bit of her spirit behind it. "Just tired, I had a difficult night, Shinji's father came over for dinner." Yui explained.

Hikari nodded, "Well your not the only one who had a rough night", the class representative gestured to Kensuke, who's current state of appearance would have made even Yui's miserable state seem neat and trim.

His camera was missing, his face was extremely pale, and he had a gaunt look about him as if he had been in a starring contest with death.

"His father found him tied up in his underwear on the front porch." Hikari explained.

"That's awful!" Yui exclaimed head snapping up, "Children can be so cruel to one another." She continued, "When I was . . ." She caught herself.

"When you were what?" Hikari asked.

"Oh, n-nothing when I was going to school in Tokyo-2 the students were taught to be much more mature, things like that would never happen." Yui recovered quickly.

"Yeah, I guess we may be a bit too relaxed on discipline", Hikari agreed watching as Touji sat with his feet up on his desk. She rushed off to berate him for it leaving Yui to her thoughts.

'At least I can sleep through the first class.' She decided. The first thing Yui had learned was how thoroughly boring their history teacher was. She'd had all of this stuff pounded into her brain long before and she just dusted it off whenever it was something of any great importance.

She dropped her head back on the desk just as the bell rang and the teacher stepped in. The room was silent accept for a muffled gasp from somewhere to Yui's right, Yui frowned what could be . . .?

There was a ticking of chock against the blackboard.

Yui finally gathered the power to look up. The old man who usually taught history was nowhere to be seen. Instead a man in his early to mid thirties, face unshaven, eyes relaxed, hair a bit messy but clean stood in his place. A hand came down hard on the history book on the desk.

"Good morning class, Mr. Yamada I'm afraid is no longer going to be teaching here." All of the girls were goggling at him now, everyone with the exception of Yui. He had the kind of charm that was a blessing for a man going after women his age and younger, unfortunately it was a blessing you couldn't turn off.

"I'll be your new history teacher, just call my Ryouji Sensei."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I apologize for the long wait, things get grimmer, much grimmer next time and hopefully much longer with the arrival of Zeruel, will Yui's plan work, what is Yui's plan anyways? And may its backfiring be a greater punishment for her then imprisonment within Unit-01's core?


End file.
